My Snow Baby.

Gabe explored snowfall for the first time today. There was plenty of snow last winter, but he wasn't really able to comprehend it. This year, he is a curious little man.

Hi, snow!

Happy Halloween!

Gabriel the Garden Gnome

October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

Loving your Sick Baby

Fever.

The dreaded word. I knew he had one as soon as I looked at him sitting on the ground on Saturday morning with slightly swollen eyes, slowly crawling to the futon to pull up just to make his whines more pronounced to his Mommy and Daddy. He wanted to say, "I'm sick."

So, with a 100.4 fever and some ear pulling, we took him to the doctor to be sure he did not have an ear infection.

No ear infection. Just a fever. And a mean case of the grouchies. We sort of let the fever ride to do its job until it hit 101, and then we offered him generic acetaminophen infant drops. But I did give him some after it had gotten a little lower, too, because he was just so uncomfortable. Nobody is happy when their body is aching and hurting, and I could tell my little one was in pain from somewhere.

I would have thought the pain and even the fever was just teething, but then he wouldn't eat his dinner. He nursed until the cows came home, but he had no interest in even his most favorite of favorites-- pears.

Stomach bug? It seems so, especially now that diarrhea is here. I'll spare the details, but let me just say cloth + diarrhea = scary. I called the doctor again to just check in re: that development and some things I saw that alarmed me, and Pedialyte was recommended. (Sidenote: I must sound like a concerned, worried, first-time baby Mama on the phone because every nurse I spoke to said, "Aww, it is so hard having a sick infant, I know." I really didn't mean to let onto the fact that I was stressed-- not a holy moly I'm going to explode kind of stress, but an I wish I could make this go away for you, sweetie kind.)

Now, I know many breastfeeding advocates are sort of against the use of Pedialyte for sick baby because Mommy's milk has pretty much anything a baby would need, but because of the diarrhea that alarmed me, I was fine with giving Gabe a little bit of it tonight between nursing sessions (He had maybe 4 oz. of it this evening in total). It didn't affect his appetite for milk, and hopefully it just was a boost beyond water to help replenish his little system. His is not dehydrated by any means-- or at least his wet diaper count is saying he is not-- but I was offering him water to help with hydration over the past few days, so with diarrhea hitting, it just followed to add in the electrolyte elixir.

So now, the little sick boy is sleeping after howling himself to sleep. Literally, he was sort of howling and moaning, not crying, as he cuddled into me to nurse, then his Daddy to wind down, then my arms to finally relax.

I stared down at him as I rocked him, sleeping in the dark silence of our bedroom, on the edge of our bed, and my eyes welled with tears. "I love you," I whispered down to him, and I kissed his little hot head. Then, I slowly rose from sitting, and tiptoed with my baby filling my torso so snuggled into my body we may as well been one. Gently, I placed him into his crib, lightly stroking his head as I prepared myself to leave the room.

I was reminded tonight that it can be hard to be a Mommy simply because you love your baby so, so much. And when you are the thing that offers your baby the solace and comfort to sleep despite the pain and aches, you feel overwhelmed with that duty of being a Mommy. Overwhelmed, with love.

Because Daddies blow the biggest bubbles.

Happy Father's Day

to my amazing husband on his first Father's Day,

to my wonderful Dad on his first as a Grandad,

and to all Daddies everywhere!

Chlorine Free at the Moment We Wish to Be.

First of all, today is my birthday. So happy year 25 to me! I'm not a big birthday person so we didn't do much today, but it was great spending quality time with my boys. What else does a wife/Mom really need anyway?

Secondly, this was a weekend involving chlorine issues. As in, Gabriel went swimming for the first time...



We did use a FuzziBunz without the insert as his cloth swim diaper, and it worked just fine. He was not into the pool. I didn't really expect him to be because he isn't really excited by baths, either.








The other chlorine issue was our switch from regular old disposables to chlorine free disposables (we only use 'sposies when Gabriel is with his babysitter, and I always leave him in cloth so we use about 4 disposables per week). As a cloth diaper family, we might surprise you that we were using typical name brand "natural" diapers, but we were. And today we bought a pack of Seventh Generation chlorine free diapers. As far as disposables go, I really like them.


Gabriel wore one this afternoon (and you can see him in the process of pulling himself up to standing-- he is really on the move trying to cruise now) so I could sort of scout it out before we sent him off to the races with them. It worked just fine, it absorbs with all natural wood pulp, and it doesn't nauseate me with perfumes. Less chemicals = happier me. So that's all good.


And that was pretty much our weekend. I hope you all had some fun in the sun with or without chlorine, too!

Camp Baby.

It's really funny how very different the reactions were from coworkers this morning when I told them my family went camping this past weekend. I add in the "with the baby" phrase and the results varied even more so. But no matter how strange, wonderful, exciting, or insane you think it is to head out to the mountains with a six-month-old, you can't really know what it's like until you do it.

And for us, it was actually a decent experience. My only regret (other than forgetting our pillows) is that we stayed one night. When you haul all your baby gear off to the woods and you bop baby back and forth between yourself and husband to get your tent set up like a little family palace, it is quite a shame to tear it all down within twenty-four hours. It was sort of interesting to pump in the car on a Sunday morning, too...

Baby-specific camping issues?

Buggin' Out.

You need to keep the bugs away as best you can because it just isn't fair to let your baby get bitten over and over and over. A great option? Eco-friendly herbal bug spray for kiddies (6 months+). We picked up Herbal Armour Kids (basically you turn your kid into a citronella candle). I used it, Gabe used it, and my husband used it. I think we made it out bite free despite the unusually large spring bug population at the campground. Other herbal options are available from Burt's Bees (I originally went out looking for this item last week, but couldn't find it on a shelf anywhere.)



Tent Life

You don't need a tall tent to camp with a baby, but it made it so much easier for us that we used a tent with a six-foot apex. Why? My husband could stand up and lift Gabriel out of the Pack and Play. And yeah, the Pack and Play fitting in the tent was a plus. Obviously this tent is not backpacking-friendly, but we figured having a family tent separate from our good backpacking gear made sense. It was almost like having our own little hotel room sans heat . . .

Not Hot Mama.

When Gabriel was born, the nurses told me the best way to gauge whether a baby is warm enough is to check the temp of his or her nose. Well, Gabe was in a onesie, sleeper, sleeper bag with arms, sleep sack, and swaddled, but his little cheeks, nose, and head were FROZEN cold after just about an hour asleep in his Pack and Play on Saturday night. But there is one thing that keeps baby warm, and that's me. So my husband gave up his REI thermal sleeping pad for Gabriel, we situated Gabe in the crook of my arm nursing, and we pulled a blanket over me and baby instead of me sleeping entirely in my super duper warm sleeping bag snug as a bug. So baby was warm. My husband was warm (though uncomfortable since he lost his pad and wound up on crunchy Rocksylvania ground). I.was.very.cold. We're planning on our next camping trip for an evening with an overnight low above 50 degrees Fahrenheit!


Trail Travel

There's something so relaxing and natural about exploring with your child. If you are hiking parents, I highly suggest purchasing an all terrain jogging stroller with three wheels. It makes hitting the trail that much easier. Our stroller is a Jeep, and its real tires and shock absorbers kick butt on uneven, rocky ground (though Gabe was not up for a long bumpy ride just yet).


Helpful tips for camping with baby?

Wear a headlamp.
At night, you can see and be hands free! It makes diaper-changing much easier in the dark. Just be careful not to shine the light in baby's eyes.

Use disposable wipes.
Everyone is a little dirtier while camping. Using some disposable wipes is worth it for your baby and your own cleanliness. Of course, keep with Leave No Trace rules and pack out everything you pack in-- no littering, no leaving behind the mess.

Enjoy breastfeeding.
Seriously, is there anything easier than not cleaning bottles? I love weekends because I am with my family, but I also love them because I (or my husband) don't have to clean bottles after work. While camping, it was doubly wonderful not to fuss over that.



All things considered, camping with Gabriel was a huge success, and we will definitely be doing it again. Yes, we used cloth diapers with ease while camping, too.


Oh, and Goober wasn't the only baby in the woods last weekend...



P.S. Here's a dirty secret. Against all likeliness, I am possibly Gossip Girl's biggest fan. Anyone else watch? The season three finale might have just ruined my life.

Today, I celebrate my first Mother's Day.

I never knew this love until I knew you, Gabriel.



Happy Mother's Day!

Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire.

After 2 months of cloth diapering, we've taken the dive into cloth wipes tonight.

To start things off, I made
A Very Basic Wipes Solution...
2 c. very warm water
2 tsp. baby wash
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Burt's Bees Mama Bee Body Oil with Vitamin E

From what I have read, I do want to switch from the Burt's Bees to tea tree oil for its anti-fungal properties, but I didn't have any in the house, and I just wanted to get my feet wet in getting cloth wipes together (we only have 24 for now-- I'll be ordering some more asap so that we use cloth wipes full-time).
Basically, I heated the water in the teapot, poured two cups into a measuring cup, added the rest of the measured ingredients, stirred them up, and poured the solution over the wipes. We let it sit for a few minutes so that the wipes could soak up all the goodness and cool a bit. Honestly, I'm not worried about keeping wipes warm.

How are the wipes set up?
Thanks to The Feminist Breeder and her awesomely-clear method of wipe-folding, they're nestled all snuggly-wuggly in a disposable wipe container so that they pop up just like disposables.
It is fairly simple to set up-- just lay a wipe flat and place another wipe halfway over it.
Then, fold the first wipe over, overlapping half of the second wipe.
Then, add another wipe on top of the fold.
Then, fold the wipe below over, overlapping half of the third wipe.
Etc. Etc. Etc.
Get the Feminist Breeder's awesome step-by-step directions here.

We've done two or three changes with the cloth wipes so far tonight, and we love them. They are gentle on Gabe, and they are easy to use. How wonderful to just plop the wipes into the diaper pail with the dirty diapers!


I'll keep you posted if I have any Eureka moments as we further our journey in cloth wiping.

Nobody puts BabyLegs in the corner: BabyLegs Review & Giveaway

It's a first for A Mom Writing today-- my very first giveaway! Party it up-- let's get going.

In that spirit, I remember the first time I heard about BabyLegs leg warmers-- I was on thebump.com's 1st trimester board, and I saw some post, "Look at my babylegs!"

I thought to myself, "Umm... I don't care about your baby's legs, but this is weird enough to check out." So, I did. And I discovered I was lucky to have opened up the post because, obviously, I learned that BabyLegs were actually one of the most adorable baby clothing items on the market.

So my love affair began with BabyLegs. But I was reluctant to purchase them until I knew the sex of the baby. In the middle of the second trimester, my husband and I were overjoyed to discover we had a little man on the way.

A boy. In BabyLegs?

I'm here to tell you that yes, they are just as cute on a boy, and no, they are not girlie. They come in so many colors and prints, from pink to stone to pumpkin to skulls to patriotic to striped and back. And you can wear them so many ways!

They are so fun and adorable, but maybe you're wondering...

Are they easy to use?
YES. Gabe is a squirmy dude, but I always can slip these on him. They are particularly lovely during diaper changes-- they can stay where they are, slip down to the ankles or glide right off for a second. They are quick on and off- baby is dressed in a jiffy.

But do they work well with cloth diapers?
MUCH BETTER THAN PANTS! I very quickly got sick of hoisting pants over my baby's fluffy butt. Sure, you can put larger size pants on your baby, but then they look long, and unless you get just the right fit, pants over cloth diapers look a little silly. What doesn't look silly? BabyLegs. They keep baby's legs nice and snugly so that he or she can still wear cute onesies and shirts with a cloth-diapered bottom.

Aren't they sort of scratchy on baby's skin?
NO. BabyLegs are so soft even before they are washed. No rashes, no irritation. They even protect your little one's legs in the sun or when crawling.

So what are the drawbacks?
For a younger baby, Babylegs can be a little long. Luckily, Babylegs sent me My First Babylegs (available at Target online)-- they are made shorter for younger, shorter legs.
BabyLegs also take care when washing-- either you can wash them by hand or you have to be very, very careful washing them with the rest of baby's clothes. Velcro stuck to BabyLegs is NOT fun.

So overall?
I wholeheartedly recommend BabyLegs. I think they are cute, warm, protective, and convenient for any busy Mommy and baby. BabyLegs are a wardrobe must-have for a little man or little lady. They're versatile and varied.

All right. You've read my review. Now what?

Buy them.
Head to babylegs.com and shop now. Sales start at around $7.00 for a pair!

AND/ OR

Win them.
One lucky reader will win a Pair of My First BabyLegs in Robot OR Block -- you get to choose!

The mandatory entry:

1. Visit BabyLegs and answer me this-- Which BabyLegs would you love your little one to wear?

Additional Entries

2. Publicly follow my blog (right sidebar) and comment for three (3) additional entries.
i.e. I follow you #1, I follow you #2, I follow you #3...

3. Follow @amomwriting on Twitter and comment for one (1) additional entry.

4. Tweet the following (One (1) entry per tweet; you can tweet once per day):
Win @babylegs from @amomwriting! 1 lucky winner will receive a pair of My 1st Babylegs. #giveaway. http://tiny.cc/FyKmL

5. Blog about the giveaway including a link to amomwriting and comment with the permalink to your entry for two (2) extra entries, leaving two separate comments.

6. Vote for A Mom Writing on Top Mommy Blogs here and comment. (1 entry per vote, 1 vote per day)

7. Vote for A Mom Writing on Top Baby Blogs here and comment. (1 entry per vote, 1 vote per day)

Make sure to include your e-mail address in your mandatory entry (if it is not in your profile) so that I have a means of contacting you if you win! The winner will be chosen by random.org on Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. EST. I will then notify the winner by e-mail; the winner has 48 hours to respond before another winner is picked. Thank you to BabyLegs for this opportunity!

Questions?
Contact me at amomwriting@gmail.com


A Mom Writing did not receive monetary compensation for this entry.


CONTEST CLOSED
Random.org Random Number Generator
1-93 selected #44-- Congrats, Jennifer Mercurio!
An e-mail has been sent, and the winner has 48 hours to respond before the next winner will be selected at random. Thanks, everyone!

Alas. Alack. A period.

I got my period.

Seriously?

No, Seriously??


I am exclusively breastfeeding, and I started the mini pill last week... and BOOM- period here, cramps and all. At least the cramps are minor compared to what I had prior to pregnancy, and I hope that continues. I was worried at first that getting my period after a week on the pill would be problematic, but I then discovered that because the progesterone-only pill does not regulate my cycle at all. So I guess it is good I can go along as usual with the little pill. It's good I am not pregnant, right? Yeah... (in a severely sarcastic tone) because I was worried about that.

But, Seriously?

No, SERIOUSLY??? I thought I was going to miss my period for months upon months with breastfeeding. Yes, I know that does not always happen, but still, I am lamenting.

Alas. Alack. A period.

Feeling Ornamental

Gabriel's First Christmas Ornament is here! And we just love it.

I found it on Department 56's website, and it was sold out almost everywhere I looked, online or in stores. Luckily, Boscov's internet store had it in stock (and on sale), and it got here in time for Gabe's very first Christmas!

Here it is:


Full Price: $12.50 new

I went food shopping.

Last weekend. I fed Gabriel, left him home to hang with his Daddy, and I went to Shop Rite. I looked like hell in an over-sized Gap sweatshirt, whoever-knows-what hair, and eyes that screamed sleep deprivation, but WOW, it was a great experience to be out in the world.

I never enjoyed picking out a package of tilapia so much, and I never rushed food shopping so much. The entire time I thought about Gabriel and worried he was crying horribly for his exhausted full-time working/part-time grad school-going Dad (who had paper upon paper to write). So yes, I called while I shopped to make sure all was well. And little Gabriel slept the whole time I was gone. When I got home, I saw the most precious thing...

My husband sitting in his office chair with Gabriel swaddled up in his arms, my husband just staring down at his baby with total amazement and happiness.

That shopping trip was totally worth it!

...The First Post...

It's always a dreadful thing, writing the first post or the introduction to anything, because it is the creating of an initial looking glass to 'something' that has not yet taken form. So, welcome! Welcome to the blog I intend to keep. Welcome to my life as a soon-to-be Mom, wife, daughter, sister, writer, and you know, person. I promise my musings will be sincere, quirky, honest, varied, specific, and personal... or as much of those words as I can possibly be in this venue called a blog. Hopefully sometime there will be readers of this little space of internet, but there will never be readers without actual substance. So let's descend then, into the musings beyond this first post and end this little awkward introduction.
***
In all sincerity, welcome. I am excited to embark on this little diary-esque quest, and I hope you enjoy reading whatever comes to be written.