Things That Make Life Easier

I always loved reading these when I was pregnant, so here is my own list of items that have made things easier for myself and Brianna in the last 6 weeks.

1) The Sleepy Wrap

Not only am I able to get my day to day things done with her attached to me, when she is especially fussy, I plop her in and she's out like a light within a couple minutes. This thing is magic, I love it and now that I have it, couldn't live without it. Totally recommend this or any other wrap type carrier.

2) Bravado Nursing Bra

This bra is amazing! It keeps me comfortable throughout the day and makes feeding Brianna a breeze. It costs a little more than other nursing bras but I believe it is so worth the extra expense.

3) Kiddopotomus Fleece Swaddling Blankets / Swaddle Designs Wearable Blankets

Brianna started off in the Kiddopotomus swaddlers and has graduated to the wearable blankets. In the beginning, she really loved to be swaddled and have her arms against her body as she would startle herself awake if they weren't pinned down against her body. Now that she prefers to have her arms free during sleep, we have been using the wearable blankets. We love these for at night to keep her warm.

4) Aden & Anais Muslin Wraps / Swaddle Designs Swaddling Blankets

These are perfect for walks to keep her covered in the stroller or when she's in her car seat in the back of the car. These keep out the sunlight while still letting a breeze reach her. Super lightweight, multi purpose item right here!

5) Carter's Sleep 'n Plays

Love, love, love these! This is all she will sleep in. Not only cute, but well made, easy to undo clasps for late night changes, super cute designs & styles and excellent prices. These fit her great.

6) Mam Pacifiers

Once she was done using the gumdrops which the hospital gave us, she took to these. I love the designs and she keeps these in her mouth really well which means no crying :)

7) Fisher Price Swing

Although I am not a huge fan of this thing, Brianna loves it. Whenever I can't keep her in my arms or I need to put her down for a quick minute, this is what I use. She stays entertained for the most part.

8) Nursing Pillow

When we first started breastfeeding, I had a hard time getting comfortable while using this. Now that she's a little larger, this works great. It gives my arms and break and keeps her comfortable while she's chowing down.

9) Organic Burp Cloths

These are AMAZING! I use them to burp her, keep on the bottom of her car seat in case of blowouts, as a head rest on her change table in our bedroom, just about anything really. They are super absorbent and soft. I bought them off Etsy from a fellow Montrealer. (Seller is Organic Quilt Company)

10) Blackberry...aka the Crackberry

Keeps me from going insane when I am home all day with Brianna and want to talk or text my friends and family. Also, I use it to take pictures when we are out and about without the camera.

Sure I could add tons more to this list, but these are my essentials for right now. Hope this helps someone!

Cloth Diapering

For those who know me IRL, I am far from being a crunchy momma. Brianna however, has made it nearly impossible for me to diaper her in disposables. We tried Huggies at the very beginning and she didn't fit those properly leading to multiple nasty blowouts. Next came Pampers, they worked for a while in the newborn size and then once we had to go up to size 1's, blowouts again! She must be the only baby I know who gets blowouts out the front and not the back.

Yesterday was the last straw. She blew out of the diaper from all angles. There was poop up the front of her shirt, the back, down the sides of her legs...it was HORRIBLE! She had just been changed 3 minutes earlier so I know she was sitting in it long but OMG, it was bad. We bathed her immediately. This has all lead to me looking into cloth diapers and from what I have seen and read, it sounds so much better than what I thought it would be. I had no idea they came in such adorable styles! I'm pretty sure I have found a new way to entertain my spending needs lol.

Clint and I have decided to go ahead and try out a couple of the AppleCheeks Diapers, AMP Diapers (both of which are made in Canada), Baby Kangas, Fuzzi Bunz and GroVia. From there we will decide what we like the most and stock up on those. To be honest, I am a little concerned about the initial cost but long term savings will be worth it. And to think, all those disposables end up in landfills and sit there forever. This will help the environment and when Brianna is all done with them, we can sell them and get back part of the money we put out. Sounds like a great deal if it means less blowouts and only once a day baths instead of 3 or 4 baths a day!

Some Good News

So next Saturday we will be flying to Ontario to visit Clint's family. This was sort of a last minute idea as his parents were originally supposed to come down and visit us but at this time, it just isn't a possibility. His grandparents aren't doing all that great, his grandfather has cancer and is 91 years old and his grandmother just suffered a heart attack. Because they live so close to Clint's parents, his mom has been there every weekend taking care of them and driving them to Minneapolis and Duluth for their many doctors appointments. With us flying out there to see them, Clint can visit with his grandparents and aunts and uncles who would of otherwise not seen Brianna for quite some time and his parents can still be around for his grandparents if need be.

I am not going to lie, I am pretty nervous about flying with a 1-month old. I am so happy that I won't be alone though for the long flights. We fly into Vancouver and that's about a hour and a half flight, then we fly out to Winnipeg and that's about a 3 hour flight. We get in pretty late on Saturday so we are overnighting in the hotel next to the airport and then driving the 4 hours to get to Clint's parents house in Ontario the next morning. I really hope she likes planes and long car rides, I don't think I will be able to handle a screaming/crying baby for that long with not being able to pick her up and hold her.

And then there is the whole thing about what to bring and pack for the trip. I am such an over packer, but I can't be with her, we can't take her entire nursery with us. I need to ask some other moms and see what they think I will need.

In other unrelated news, Clint might be getting a huge job promotion!! One of the sales guys quit yesterday and Clint jumped on that right away. They have already talked to his manager about him taking over that position. With me being home for a year, and only making about 50% of my regular pay check, this will be awesome if he were to get it. Not only will the hours be better and he will have more freedom, but he will be making ALOT more, and be bringing in commission as well. We are in desperate need of a new vehicle, the Jetta is slowly dying on us and we also are in need of new couches in the living room. We haven't bought new furniture in over 5 years, and the couches are the first things we need to replace. The corner cushion hits the floor since the springs have gone, so not cool! So hopefully all things work out and this job comes through for him, it would be an answer to our prayers.

And of course, a picture of Brianna because I really can't resist! (by the way, Clint thought this was the funniest thing ever!)

1 Month!

Today is Brianna's 1 month. I cannot believe I have had my wonderful outside baby for this long already, I really don't like how fast the days go bye. I wish she could be small like this forever, I love our cuddles and afternoon naps!

We don't have a doctor's appointment for her until she turns 6 weeks so when we had her weighed last Thursday she was weighing in at a whopping 10lbs 5oz already!! She is getting her fair share of breastmilk! I couldn't believe how much she had gained in such a short time. She is also measuring at 23.5 inches, already grown a whole inch and a half! She fits all of her 0-3 month clothing, some newborn size clothing as well as some 3-6 month stuff too...but I believe that is just because they are small for their sizing. I have no idea where she is getting this all from, both myself and Clint are average height and size, as well as our families.

Brianna has started her own schedule, she naps/sleeps at the same times every day which is quite convenient for me to get what I need to get done. She takes her last feeding at around 11-11:30 then sleeps until around 3-4, feeds and sleeps again until about 7am when we wake up for the day. I love that she only wakes the one time a night, I really love my sleep and apparently so does she.

We do tummy time every day, and for the most part it is while she in on my tummy/chest. She doesn't mind it at all, she loves to look around and see what's going on. She is such a curious little girl. Since day 1 she has had tremendous neck strength and has been able to hold her head up for anywhere between 10 and 30 seconds. She loves being on me, when we first came home from the hospital she would only sleep on my chest, and this included night time which I did not like. She's a little oven and would sweat on me like crazy, waking up practically in a puddle! I wear her every chance I get when doing housework or when we are out, no stroller yet. We have the Sleepy Wrap and Baby Bjorn.

Brianna smiled for the very first time without it being a gas smile on Mother's Day, best gift ever! She has smiled here and there since then, nothing consistent yet but oh so wonderful when it does happen. She still doesn't really cry, unless of course she is starving and I am changing her diaper before the feeding. She used to cry a little when we bathed her but she doesn't cry during baths anymore thank goodness. Brianna has the cutest cry ever, I sort of find it pathetic, she's just so small and it's not too loud or anything. And her little lip quivers too, so cute!

We hope to get her sleeping in her bassinet at night more, the last couple nights she has started there after her 11pm feeding and come into our bed after the 3 am one. I love having her in bed with us, but sometimes I like my space and so does Clint. She's only taken 1 nap in her crib, hopefully this changes as well after all the money we spent on her nursery! She sleeps just like her daddy, sprawled out and grunts and snorts, it is really funny to see.

So I think this has been a long enough post. I will leave you with some cute pictures of my princess.

Post Partum Survey

How far along were you when you had your baby? 38 weeks & 4 days

How long was labour? Just over 11 hours

Total weight gain: 45lbs, yikes!

Total weight loss since: Not entirely sure, need to still weigh myself

Back into your own clothes yet? Still wearing maternity jeans but they are looser, and mostly regular tops. I still need to pull out all my non-pregnancy clothes from the spare room closet, I didn't want them in my closet while pregnant so it was easier to get dressed in the AM

Did you get stretch marks? Yes. The ones on my sides are just extensions of my old ones from my early teens and then a couple days before giving birth I was blessed with some on the lower area of my stomach. And...if that wasn't enough, I have some even lower due to the baby dropping so quickly during labour, yay me :(

Did you deliver vaginally or by c-section? Vaginally

Best moment this week: We went on our first outing to Wal-Mart and then the grocery store and she slept through the entire thing, she didn't fuss the entire time like she normally does. It was great, we were able to get all the shopping done that we needed to. Also, I received a great little hat from an Etsy seller I had bought from previously as a gift for Brianna, totally unexpected but totally sweet :)

What I miss about being pregnant: Most definitely feeling her move inside of me

How big is baby: At last weigh-in, she was 8lbs 8oz but am sure she has grown since

Baby's temperament? She's such a happy little baby. She will only cry in the bath when she gets cold towards the end or when she is hungry after her nap and I am trying to change her diaper, she's slightly impatient just like her mother

What I am looking forward to: The day where she smiles at Clint and I and means it. I cannot wait!

Wordless Wednesday