Since Piper is close to being mobile (still haven’t seen another crawl from her yet), I decided that my blackberry video capabilities are severely lacking when it comes to being able to post and send these things. So… we got a Flip Camera.
We were going to get the one that was 60 minutes at Target for 169.99, but I decided to wait as we were already spending FAR too much at Target that day.
Then, I went to Costco’s online site, as I had remembered a coupon in one of our coupon books for a Flip MinoHD, and I thought, “Ah, they have the Flip there!” Sure enough, they had the 2 hour Flip MinoHD (2nd generation)- and get this- it was 189.99 with the manufacturer’s coupon for an extra 30 dollars off- PLUS an HDMI cable to watch the movies on our TV! So we got MORE for less at Costco. Of course our super local Costco didn’t have them in store so we had to go to one a freeway away, but it was worth it as we also needed tires and they were out of our size at the local Costco.
Anyway, now I can post videos!
Here is a lame one people may have seen on Facebook, I apologize in advance for the fact that we were watching COPS in the background. There is a funny story about our first Valentine’s Day and COPS. Should I tell it now? I’ll let you watch the vid and then I’ll tell you about it.
So it’s boring, but she’s being cute. Also, yes, that is my voice, and it is me laughing at her blowing raspberries!
The Valentine’s Day story goes like this:
Paul had planned our (second, as we had another v-day together in 1998) first Valentine’s Day very well. He told me to pack for two nights and three days, and it was a surprise where we were going. He sent me the weather forecast (completely devoid of any information other than temp) and told me to plan accordingly. I spent the night at his house so we could head out early, as the next day, Saturday, was Valentine’s Day. When I woke up on Saturday, I had roses and tulips waiting for me. The roses were in a large vase, and the tulips were in a small jelly jar. He was gone, getting the car washed and getting me a build a bear- a monkey in a “Love Bug” suit. When he came back I was sitting in bed, packing. God, our bed seemed so huge then.
He gave me all my goodies and made sure I had everything I needed. Then, we got in the car. And began driving South. “AHA! SAN DIEGO!!” I was pretty sure it was San Diego or Santa Barbara (two months later I’d be planning our Santa Barbara trip). We got to the hotel and we got all checked in. We opened the door… and two queen beds stared back at us. “Ah, you are so sweet! You totally care about my virtue! That’s MY bed, and that’s YOUR bed.” I was totally entertained by this, he wasn’t nearly as entertained. Of course, he STILL doesn’t think my joke was funny. Anywho, he went down to the check in area to complain, but they were like, “Well, you booked online, and it doesn’t guarantee a specific bed type, and now we’re all sold out (this WAS Valentine’s day, after all), but you can have the king tomorrow night for a lower price.” So, he came back up to our two-bed room, and huffed about how it was all planned out, and now it was ruined. “RUINED?!” I said. “Dude, I LOVE having my own bed! Now I can jump back and forth!” Since I’m a child, after all. He got grumpy and decided to take a shower before we headed out for the night.
As he showered, I jumped on the beds. It was really fun. Until I fell off. And landed on my wrist. I lay there crying, and he got out of the bathroom to find me on the floor. He asked what was wrong, and I told him I broke my wingy. He laughed at me and told me that was what I got for making fun of the two beds. What a lovely relationship we had. We got dressed and headed out for a movie he had picked- 50 First Dates. By the time we saw it (I LOVED IT, still do), and got out of the theater, it was super late, so we just went to a Denny’s for dinner. So romantic. Honestly, I was so in love with this man for working so hard to plan everything that I couldn’t have cared less about what we were eating. We arrived back at our hotel, crapped out wrist and all, and got ready for bed, all snuggled up.
We turned on the TV, and COPS was on. The very first time we saw COPS together. In honor of the holiday, it was the “Love Hurts” edition- both one and two. So, Paul and I snuggled in and watched couples beating each other on television. We still love COPS now, but I’ll never forget the first time we saw it together.
The next day he gave me my choice of places to visit: The Zoo, The Wild Animal Park, or Sea World. DUH, Sea World! OTTERS! PENGUINS!! SHAMUUUUUUU! (before he killed people). I even got a kids meal because it came with a Shamu shaped lunch box. Which I had to give away because it was cluttering up the joint. Sadness.
After Sea World, my throbbing wrist, Paul and I took a tour of The Gas Lamp District in San Diego. We visited the Whaley House (most haunted place on the register of haunted places), and ate food off the street. Haha. The restaurants sold food (like fresh tortillas!!!) from little windows on the street. Finally, the sun setting, we headed home.
The following is so TMI that it’s almost beyond what I consider myself able to blog about. Still, for those of you interested in childbirth, especially pushing, this might interest you. After all, I pushed unsuccessfully for 2 hours, with nothing to show for it. Well, now I have something to show for it- other than the lack of strong vaginal muscles that can hold in pee when I sneeze or laugh abruptly, and a decent ability to poop normally, that is. (more…)
Today, Piper is Seven Months Old. SEVEN MONTHS. She’s now passed by her half-year birthday, and is now closer to ONE than she is ZERO!
Since she had lost weight last month, we were advised to come in yesterday for a 7 month weight check, while usually we’d have to go back at 8 months.
Piper got weighed, and has gained 1lb 3oz, and one inch in length in the last month!
YAY!
It was a quickie appointment (literally: took her in, undressed her, sat her on the scale and left), so I didn’t have a chance to talk to the doctor about her sleeping habits of late. Since I was trying to bulk her up after my brief panic about her losing weight, I was totally okay with getting up twice a night to feed her. Now that I know she okay… well… mommy needs sleep.
Here’s my happy and sated baby, gnawing on her spoon.
Nom, Squash Spoon
Seven Month Update:
* Piper can get completely to her hands and knees and lunges that way for a bit.
* She has crawled four “steps” total, but hasn’t repeated her set of three since.
* She knows how to play peek-a-boo!
* When you are holding her and say “Kisses” she leans over and touches your lips with hers.
* Piper can sit up and roll all over, including sideways into her crib rails
* Girl could not love food any more than she does already.
So far that’s all I have! Happy Seven Month birthday, my little peach.
Out of Paul’s friends, there are four couples (including us). Three of us got married in 2007 (Paul was matched up with Couple C Wife in Couple A’s wedding party). As of now, one couple is separating (Couple A), one is due any day now with a girl (Couple B), and another couple is expecting their girl in August (Couple C). As you know, our girl is already here.
Couple C is awesome. So, we attempted to try to steal this couple away from Couple A (before we knew about the separation) last year- well, perhaps “steal” is a strong word. Technically, we knew we were a better fit for Couple C, and figured we’d all have a great time together. Rather than use the term “steal”, I would rather just say we were looking for couple friends, and since we figured we were always going to be friends with Couple A (half of Couple A is Paul’s cousin), we could get to know Couple C a little better, and POSSIBLY get them alone for a date night with us. Wrong? Maybe. I’ll say it is HARD to find couple friends who are in the same place in life as you- all my friends are either single and living here or married and back East, and Paul’s friends are all single dudes.
Then, we ran into Couple C at Husband in Couple A’s Mom’s annual July fete last year, and a month later received an invite via Cousin in Couple A to a dinner with Couple A and Couple C. Eeee! The invite! I was pregnant then, the first pregnancy amongst our little group, and I knew it was going to be interesting, as Couple A’s Wife was very against pregnancy (little did we know she was planning her exit from the marriage at that time), and Couple C seemed to be a little more settled and ready for babies. Dinner went well, I was at my best- funny, telling great stories, winning Couple C over with my wit and charm (ha). That was the last we heard from them. Apparently, Paul dropped the ball and lost us the couple.
Since then, Couple A has split, and Husband from Couple A is still friends with them, and let us know they’re expecting too (after telling us about Couple B’s news)! When we got home that day, I told Paul, “WE HAVE SOMETHING ELSE IN COMMON NOW! WE NEED TO GET IN THERE!!” Couple C’s Husband is a computer tech, so when Paul’s school was having computer problems he figured he’d ask him for his advice, while also reminding him that we have a baby now, so if he needs any advice… we’re here. Couple C’s Husband thanked him and mentioned he’d like to pick his brain on being a daddy, since we’re kind of the only ones in that boat now and all. Paul told him he could call any day, and “hey, I need to thank you for your help, we should take you and the wife out for dinner!”
Again, that was the last we heard.
Until…
Two days ago, we got an invitation in the mail. Addressed to Mr and Mrs. Couple D (us, obviously), with a Duckie return label. I opened it and found a baby shower invite. Hm. Baby shower? Couple B had their shower already (I heard, we weren’t invited), so it wasn’t them. I scanned the invite for the names… Join us in celebrating COUPLE C with a baby party!
I’ll tell you exactly what I said as I clutched that beautiful yellow and blue rubber ducky invitation: “WE’RE IN!!!!!!!”
Then, I said, “I bet we’re like, their only parent friends, that’s probably why”
Then, I went to their registry and tried to see what to get them for the shower. And remarked on the two wipes warmers. “Do you need two wipes warmers?” I asked aloud. Immediately,Paul said, “DO NOT GET US UNINVITED BEFORE WE CAN EVEN RSVP!”
I said, “I WAS JUST WONDERING! GOD!” I tried to think about what to get them… and then fell into quite a lovely daydream about us being BFFS, and our daughters being BFFs, with a slight wistfulness as I had planned Piper marrying their son, since I had hoped it was going to be a boy. No shame in that, right? Their kids are going to be GORGEOUS, and I wouldn’t mind our family dipping into their gene pool.
So, we are in. Hopefully I don’t somehow ruin this for us. If anyone does, it’ll be me. I tend to put my foot in my mouth a lot.
While we still celebrated Father’s Day last year, this year was special because we have an OUTSIDE baby now! Paul asked for a clean house for Father’s Day. Instead, I super-cleaned the kitchen, tidied up the living room, and did a load of dishes while he was out working out yesterday morning. THIS morning, I gave him his real gifts (Tom Hanks movie gift pack- The Money Pit, The ‘burbs, and Dragnet, he requested The ‘burbs; a special Daddy’s Little Girl board book by Garrison Keilor {probably spelled wrong}, and Avatar in Blu-Ray) and cards from me, Piper and the dog. I gave him permission to play a new video game he bought yesterday, as I fed Piper her cereal, and ground coffee beans for him to have coffee- first time since pre-Piper we’ve had coffee at home! Then, since I felt slightly bad that he had made me a fancy breakfast for Mother’s Day, I decided to make him one, too.
As Piper sat in her “circle of neglect” aka her exersaucer, I made cinnamon rolls, hash browns, turkey sausage, two eggs over medium and sourdough toast. Dude. I made BREAKFAST. Also, many don’t know this- I don’t eat meat. I don’t touch sausage ever. Yet I DID. ALSO, I don’t know how to cook eggs. I have one way- scrambled- with or without cheese. And I made eggs over MEDIUM!! I am SOOO PROUD.
Anyway, afterward, Pipes and I went shopping for snacks (and picked up Trader Joe’s cheesy beefy dip stuff in the freezer sec), then came home and played for a bit before we had to head out to the valley, where she played in a little pool. Okay, not really PLAYED. More like… sat in it, munched a plastic book and cried when Mommy stepped away (others were watching her). After that (and after I changed her into dry clothes), the fuss-butt and I sat outside, she in the swing Tia (Aunt in Spanish) and Uncle have for her, and me in the chair pushing her and pretending to eat her feet. Daddy was enjoying the U.S. Open with the rest of the daddies.
After we ate dinner (macaroni salad and green beans for me, green beans and apple sauce for her), we cut the Coldstone ice cream cake we got for my Uncle’s 74th birthday that was today (bummer for his kids) and then went to open presents. As Paul and Uncle and my cousin opened their gifts, Piper and I were on the floor with Tia and my mom. Piper was on her tummy. Then, Piper gave Paul the best gift ever.
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I’m not talking about doody.
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No, really, I’m not. Well, not THIS time.
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Keep in mind Piper is in the office with me from 7-4pm Monday through Friday, and has moooore than enough time to do fun things, like rolling over for the first time. Daddy missed that one.
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We were very sad he missed it, but very glad a co-worker didn’t steal the thunder of being the second person after me to watch Piper hit that milestone.
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Getting tired of this yet? This beating around the bush about what Piper gave Daddy for Father’s Day?
Okay….
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It was doody.
I’m kidding. But that IS the gift that keeps on giving. Especially when she eats carrots. Then it’s the orange gift that keeps on giving.
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Okay, I’ll stop messing with you. Piper gave Paul…
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the
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chance
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to
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see
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her…
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CRAWL!!!!!!!!!
One of the HUGEST milestones yet, and Paul was there to see it. He actually encouraged it by tormenting her by placing her toys farther away from her reach. Typical “I’ll show YOU…” actions, and Piper lifted herself up (and she must have been heavy, as she had just eaten a ton of green beans and applesauce- which she LOVES by the way), and wavering on all fours, she fell back to the ground like a newly born foal. She did her version of the infant “worm”, and tried again. Again, all fours… And then..
And then…
AND THEN-
she crawled. Three whole steps. She crawled. My baby crawled for daddy. The room let out a CHEER (literally, a cheer, there were eight of us there), which scared her and made her drop back to the carpet (in hindsight, probably not a good idea to startle the baby while she’s doing something momentous like balancing her body weight on spindly baby arms), and then she remained there, immobile. Did another tummy hump, and propped herself back on her arms… and then.. one more crawl- after which she was obviously exhausted and burst into tears. Paul picked her up and thanked her for letting him see it, and wiped the sweat off her brow. Our baby gets SWEA-TY. She gets it from Daddy.
Ah. Piper did a crawl. Where do you find knee pads for infants? Our house is tile-only. Holy lord, we’re going to have to move, aren’t we? Also, we are SO getting a Flip HD camera.
I’ve long believed in superstitions, ghosts, wive’s tales, and random things not being a coincidence. Therefore, I do believe in guardian angels.
My dad’s older brother, Donnie, passed away when he was seventeen in 1957, almost a month to his eighteenth birthday. His death completely changed the dynamic of my dad’s family- my grandparents were wrecked, my aunts were destroyed, and my dad, now the lone boy, was looked upon much like Gordy in Stand By Me- as the goof-off who would never be like his brother. Donnie was the golden boy- handsome, well liked, and a good son. My dad, while only 9 at the time, knew he would never be the same. So, he continued to live recklessly, taking stupid chances and doing stupid things. Now that I’m a mother, I can only imagine what my grandma must have thought.
My dad was kind of the black sheep of the family. Didn’t go to college (despite how smart he is), got kicked out of high school, got married at 18 or something equally idiotic (first wife- not my mom), flitted from job to job, always living paycheck to paycheck. My grandma made sure he had a house to live in, and when she passed away, she hoped that it would continue to be there for him.
The point of this is to let you know what kind of person my dad is. He’s reckless and sometimes acts before he thinks. He’s a ton better at that now- he thinks way more than he acts. Since he was such a foolish risk-taker in his youth, we both marvel at how he managed to survive many, many accidents that could have left him crippled or worse. Together, we both say it’s Donnie, since there is no way a man is THAT lucky. Seriously, my dad shouldn’t be whole. I think Donnie is Dad’s guardian angel, and that made me wonder about Piper.
Every now and then, my Dad and I talk about how much my Grandma and Grandpa would love Piper. I agree. He thinks Grandma would especially love her, considering the special relationship my grandma and I had. There are a lot of times when I look at my parents with Piper, and think about how it must have felt for Grandma, when all of us kids would descend on her home. She loved us more than her own kids, I think, sometimes. Then again, that’s what a grandma does- loves you to no bounds, right? With your own children you have to parent them, since spoiling is just not okay without discipline.
I often wish Grandma were here to meet our girl, and all the rest of the children we have in our family. Sometimes, I wonder if my grandma watches out for Piper alone, or if Paul’s Dad (who I never met) keeps a watchful eye over her. I have no doubt my grandma is an angel, she was one on earth, why not be one where angels are really from?
Paul and his Dad planted jacaranda trees together when Paul was a kid. He spent a lot of time with Paul, more than he did with Paul’s siblings (they are 8 years apart), so I wouldn’t question Paul’s dad watching over Paul a little more closely. When we moved to our current place, we were surrounded by jacaranda trees. Whenever I take Piper out there she lights up, the breeze blowing her wispy hair back, as she laughs and coos. I like to tell her Grandpa Pete is there with us, and that even though she never met him, he loves her very much, and will always watch out for her.
I’m a believer- there are definitely people watching out for us and taking care of us when we’re not paying attention.
Thank you, Donnie, Grandma and Grandpa, and Grandpa Pete. We miss you very much, and wish you were able to hold our little girl.
Yesterday I asked you guys for any questions you might have, and here are the few that were asked! If you have more questions, feel free to ask here or there, and I’ll add them to this post.
Geek In Heels asked:
Do you ever feed Piper pumped breastmilk from a bottle, or do you exclusively breastfeed? What tips would you give someone who plans to mostly breastfeed, but would like to bottle-feed pumped breastmilk occasionally?
Answer: Piper has yet to take a bottle, so yes, she is exclusively breastfed. Honestly, I had planned to breastfeed a majority of the time, with a bottle here and there so someone else could watch her. Eventually, it became just easier if I didn’t have to pump. Call it lazy, that’s what it is. Unfortunately, women who exclusively breastfeed and pump sporadically don’t take to pumping well. Your body is used to the suckling of your baby, and will not let down the milk like it does when breastfeeding. This sucks and tricks you into thinking you’re not providing enough milk for your own child, even though this is in fact, incredibly rare- not making enough milk for your baby (barring surgery, sickness or some other issues). Babies are just that much more efficient at emptying your breasts than a pump. My long-winded response is basically me telling you to pump as soon as you can, either to store the excess milk (which I HUGELY recommend) or to just get your body used to it. My body is NOT used to pumping, it hurts my nipples incredibly which kind of turned me off. Also, with Piper still eating every three hours or so, I have no spare time to pump, since she empties both boobs at every feeding. A few things to remember: 1.)the amount of time you spend pumping/nursing your baby will directly affect your milk supply. To up your supply without fenugreek/mother’s milk tea/steel cut oatmeal (it HAS to be steel cut, and not instant), just pump in between nursing, it’ll trick your body into thinking your baby is twice as hungry as he/she is, and will up your output to keep your “baby” from starving. 2.) If you skip a feeding for awhile, your body will think your baby is getting enough to eat, so it will cut down your supply to stop you from getting engorged at this time. I used to wake up engorged every morning, but then my body realized Piper had stopped feeding 5 times a night and adjusted my supply. 3.) Your body is most ready to pump first thing in the morning (after your baby has eaten), after a warm shower or after a bit of manual stimulation. 4.) When you’re engorged, and not wanting to have to pump every day (meaning you’re trying to let your body know it doesn’t need to make THAT much milk), do NOT pump to empty it. Like I said before, it tricks your body into thinking your baby NEEDS that feeding. Just try to hand express enough to release the pressure, but do NOT empty it. Full boobs that aren’t relieved signal your body to stop making as much milk. The biggest thing I can say to moms who want to primarily breastfeed but would also like a break now and then- get familiar with your pump, and USE IT! Use a bottle as soon as you feel comfortable, and keep in mind some bottles may be more attractive to a baby than others, so don’t be discouraged if they don’t take the first one! (Ha, said the woman with 30 different types of bottles, and two bottle racks who gives them to her baby to play with) Good luck!
Words and Steel asked:
I was wondering: what baby items did you buy right away for Piper, what did you have gifted, and what did you wait on purchasing until after she was born? How did you decide what was most essential? It’s a bit daunting to think about all the $$ you have to shell out for baby!
A: We were INCREDIBLY lucky to have been gifted with a ton of hand-me-downs and things we didn’t need right away, like a jumperoo (the thing that hangs from the doorway) and a lot of clothes. I’m going to list the things we got that we used right away, and tell you whether we were given/gifted/ or we bought for ourselves.
1.) Infant car seat. The hospitals in CA will not let you go home without it. Not like I’d want to, anyway. We were given one as a hand-me-down as well as had one bought for us as a shower gift. The hand-me-down is the Maxi-Cosi Priori (I think), and the other is Graco Snugride 32 (now it’s Graco 35) and it has two bases – one in our car and one in my Dad’s car. I recommend getting a second base, I did when I had to go back to work, and figured Dad would be coming to get us now and then.
2.) Graco Snugride Stroller Base. MUST HAVE. We bought this right before she was born. It is seriously the best ever, has great storage space and folds up easily, and it’s nice to not have to wake up the baby to move her to a stroller. This isn’t as bulky and unwieldy as a travel system, and saves money because you can wait until later to get the stroller you want- after getting to know your baby and what they like. Gives you more time for research!
3.) Diapers (eh, this is easy) We bought the size 1s, and took the packs of newborn ones from the hospital.
4.) Even though the books say not to wipe the baby’s butt with baby wipes, we tried using the dry cloth-like things and failed. They sucked. Especially at getting meconium off the butt- that stuff is like tar. Piper’s butt has been wiped with wipes forever and has had no ill effects.We were gifted a box of Costco wipes and never used anything else.
5.) Nursing tanks and bras. I’m a fan of the Target ones- Gillian O’Malley or something. Bought myself.
6.) Johnson’s and Johnson’s bedtime bath wash and Aveeno calming lotion. Both have lavender and have been used since day 15 (belly button stump came off). We bought this.
7.) Baby tub. A lot of people say it’s useless, but we always have dishes in the sink, and our own tub is too hard to kneel by to wash her (glass doors that leave half the tub covered at all times). We love our Whale of a Tub. Gifted.
8.) Glider. ABSOLUTELY necessary if you’re breastfeeding. When I have to get up with her in the middle of the night, I just sink into the chair and put my elbows on the armrests and nurse her while slightly dozing. The gliding also soothes her. Seriously, best thing ever. This was a gift, but from Wal-Mart and 300 dollars (which sounds like a lot, but earns its keep).
9.) Manual breast pump. Great to relieve pressure from engorged boobs, and the feeling is a lot more like an actual suckle than the electric pumps. I was given the Avent Isis as a hand-me-down.
10.) Bouncer or swing. We, luckily, were given both (actually, the travel swing is at work now, and she never uses it now, but she slept in it DAILY), and while not useful to her at first, Piper loves the bouncer now, but gets kind of bored easily. These are great to place your sleeping baby when your arms are about to fall off but you’re afraid of waking them up.
11.) A sleep wedge/positioner. Piper was stuffed up a LOT so we ran to Target and got this. She slept so much better without rolling from side to side and when she could breathe.
12.) A cool mist humidifier. Again with the stuffed up, and it also acted as white noise! Perfect! Bought it ourselves.
13.) A baby meds set- ours came with infant tylenol (thankfully before the recalls), motrin and mylicon gas drops. We REALLY used the gas drops a lot in the beginning, and the tylenol was used at every appointment where she got shots. This was a great shower gift.
14.) Little Remedies gift set. Seriously, the best ever. The best nasal aspirator out there, even better than the hospital’s. The tip is curved to fit in their little noses. It also has the tummy relief drops and the saline spray, as well as little nail clippers. SO TINY. If you want, you could get the aspirator separately (I saw it at Bed, Bath and Beyond), and get the saline MIST spray, better than the other kind, if you ask me. I loooove the aspirator. This was a gift.
15.) a carrier. I have three slings and a wrap and a bjorn. Piper hated all but the bjorn. So that’s what we use now, and it was a godsend when we had to go take Woofie out when I was home alone. It was a hand-me-down.
16.) Gripe Water. We bought Little Tummies and it was wonderful. Very helpful when the baby has a fussy stomach and needs soothing.
17.) Bassinet. A hand-me-down we borrowed from cousins, and it was perfect. Piper slept in it for almost six months!
If I can think of anything else, I’ll let you know, but so far these things are what we used at the very beginning and couldn’t have survived without. We did NOT buy a changing table. They’re a waste of space and money. We bought the Hemnes dresser from Ikea, and plopped a hand-me-down changing pad on top. We also haven’t bought a regular stroller, as I’m waiting until she outgrows her car seat to get one. A high chair is fun, but not necessary until at least four months, the same as a lot of things like the exersaucer or jumperoo. To be honest, so many things aren’t necessary. You don’t need a monitor until you move the baby to their own room, same as a mobile/crib entertainer/crib/sheets, but you might want to get the crib and all while you’re still pregnant just to have it done with. You don’t need a fancy diaper pail- just a trash can with a tight seal. Piper has some major doodies, but her room has NEVER smelled like poop! I always say, if a baby has diapers, boobs/formula, and a place to sleep they’ll be fine. Everything else is just window dressing. Don’t stress yourself out. The grooming kits were kind of lame. We clipped Piper’s nails once and cut her, so we just file her nails down. An emery board is great for this. The brushes in grooming kits are pointless if your baby has hair- it just smooths the top layer of hair over the rest, while the layer underneath gets all knotted. I think that’s all I can think of, let me know if you have any specific items you’re curious about!
Amber asked:
What exactly do you mean by numb pelvic area? Has it hampered your sex life?
A: Sex life? What is that? So, when they give you a c-section, they have to sever your nerves in the areas they cut. The incision is at the pubic hair line, and the nerves above that (about 3 inches above) are severed, so the area is numb. My obstetrician assured me this is normal, and it takes a while, possibly even a “long time” to reattach themselves. So, I suppose I was incorrect in saying “pelvic area”, it’s more lower belly than pelvis. Luckily, it has given our sex life any problems- the thing that gave our sex life problems was Piper. Now that she’s in her own room, though, it’s slowly getting back to normal. I did wait a good three/four months after she was born to resume “relations” though, and it was completely painless, and dare I say, more pleasurable than before? Although that could have been from the hiatus from the actual deed- my body was like, “heeeeey, I remember this!”
Hopes this answered your questions! As always, if you have anything else to ask, ask away!
Kelly Asked:
So just curious…why do they strap your arms down during the c-section? I know some hospitals do and some do not, but what is the rationale?
A:Well, my arms were strapped down so they could access the IVs and everything easier, perhaps in case of an emergency and they needed to get you under and FAST? On one arm was the blood pressure cuff, the other had the IV and the finger blood oxygen monitor on it, so it might just be to get them out of the way so they don’t have to dig under your comfy and toasty vacuum heated blanket. I honestly have no real idea, but previously, while undergoing cataract surgery, I had to have my arms strapped down because I kept moving around while I was “under”. They said I was waving my arms like the Queen of England.
While the Mister is jumping on the World Cup bandwagon, I am bored, and instead of going into the bedroom to watch “Deliver Me” on Discovery Health, I figured I’d sit here with him and pretend I’m not bored out of my mind. I wish soccer commentaries were a bit more exciting- like basketball!
Anyway, I thought I’d do a bit of catch up on what’s doin’ at our place.
Sleep: Piper has been rolling over in her sleep lately. She’s been doing it for months, now and it’s driving us crazy. She rolls over and finds herself on her tummy, and well, hates it. So she wakes up all night angry that she can’t turn around. Sigh. Still, I go in there when she’s worked herself into a tizzy and can’t calm herself down. A little bit of nursing and she’s back down until the next baby-rotate.
Sitting up: Piper can sit up by herself for a super long amount of time. She’ll only fall over if she’s reaching for something behind her. She’s got crazy yoga moves now, and has her nose to the ground a lot, making me think she’s stuck, when really she’s just hanging out like that, and instantly rises back up again!
Crawling: She’s not crawling yet, but she has been able to get to her hands and knees and kind of stay like that for a little bit until leaning forward and collapsing.
Practically 3d because of the blurriness, but you can see it!
I’m already wondering how to protect her fragile little knees on our tile-only floor. YIKES.
Sippy cups: Piper has sippy cups now, and while able to drink when held for her, she doesn’t quite understand the use of the two handles, other than making it very easy for her to bang it on crap. This is super cute, though! I hope it helps her take a bottle someday. Someday (wistfully).
Baby Crack Machine: I just bought one. Our neighbors outside Piper’s window are SUPER loud, and make it impossible to sleep, not to mention the upcoming raccoon fights I’m expecting this summer in the tree outside her window. So I bought it, not the one that plays lullabies and has a projector, because right now light and noise do not equal a peaceful and quick bedtime. Last night was our first night with it, and she woke twice. Still, the noises outside were definitely less annoying for her, I think. We’ll see what happens.
Solids: Piper is now onto stage 2 foods, as she can sit up by herself, and leans toward the spoon when food is coming, and well, she loves it! We need to be careful, though, as they’re definitely chunkier to eat (and peas just bind her up to no end). So far she loves squash the most, peas and pears. She’s coming to love green beans!
Piper is now almost 7 months old. This age is super fun, and always changing. Literally, she’s laying on her back one day, and the next she gets up to her hands and knees. I really need a video camera.
Also, yes, that is my voice, and it is me laughing at her blowing raspberries!
