Day: June 17, 2015

Kitty on the mend?

~ Carolyn Knees ~ Leave a comment

Monty drank a ton over night. And I just caught her in the act of drinking again. Additionally, she has been eating her special wet cat food with gusto. Even asking for more when she licks the bowl clean.

And no more vomiting!

So today is a good day. A sleepy baby and a kitty on the mend!

~ Carolyn Knees ~ Leave a comment

LEWIS SLEPT 7 HOURS AND 45 MINUTES IN A ROW.

We are sooooo close to sleeping through the night. Wow.

When I woke up at 4:30 to him stirring, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Go Lewis!

UPDATE: He followed up the nearly 8 hr stretch with a nearly 4 hour stretch. My boobs were complaining, but I’m certainly not! I love my sleepy baby!

10 Lessons I’ve learned in 10 weeks of parenting

~ Carolyn Knees ~ Leave a comment
  1. Bring a change of clothes for the whole family – Baby messes are not always easily contained. Baby, mom, and dad sometimes all need a costume change. Not the end of the world if you’re prepared, pretty disastrous if you’re not.
  2. Plan to leave 15 minutes before you actually need to leave – If you ever want to be on time again, do this. Worst case scenario, you end up 15 minutes early to your destination. Best case scenario, you’re prepared for the worst case scenarios – like blowouts, vomit covered babies, can’t find the pacifier, where are my keys, baby is starving unexpectedly, etc.
  3. Nothing is as scary as it seems – I’ve been nearly paralyzed by countless tasks since baby arrived. How am I supposed to grocery shop with a baby? How am I supposed to go to the doctor with a baby? How am I supposed to breastfeed in public? Where will I pump while I’m out without the baby? How am I supposed to open the door while pushing a stroller? Well… it turns out there is a way to handle all of that, and none of it was as bad as I built it up to be in my mind. Go figure.
  4. Don’t tell other moms about your oversupply problems or how much sleep you’re getting – Nothing good will come of discussing these things with the “wrong” moms, and you never know which mom is the “right” mom. If you end up telling a mom with under-supply issues about how hard it is to have an oversupply, she will a) get mad, and b) tell you that it is not a problem, which will in turn make you mad at her. You two will never understand each other. And if your baby is a sleeper, be happy about it privately. Because moms of less sleepy babies will hate you. The end.
  5. Keep the stain remover next to changing pad – If you want to save your baby’s clothes after a blowout, you have to spray immediately. Baby poop stains clothing like nothing else I’ve ever seen. Spray it, rinse it, and spray it again. Then wash it before it dries. BUT, there is such a thing as “Oh well poop”. These poops are the poops that are so destructive that you just say, “oh well, that’s ruined”… and walk away.
  6. You can shower even when the baby is awake – I literally asked my mother’s permission to take a shower while baby was awake and I was home alone. She said it was okay, so I plopped him in his rocker outside the bathroom door so I could hear him, and I showered. And you know what? He didn’t mind at all.
  7. Doctors are almost never as concerned about your baby’s poop as you are, but call anyway – I called my doctor about baby’s poop probably 800 times in the first few weeks. They were never concerned, but I always felt better afterwards. If you’re wondering what the different poops mean… you can probably assume your baby is fine. There are very, very few instances when your baby’s poop is a sign of a more significant problem. But your anxiety is a significant problem. So ask. Your pediatrician is used to it, and they’ll be happy to put your mind at ease. And after the first few weeks, you’ll have seen it all and won’t need to call anymore.
  8. Cover the penis when changing your baby boy’s diaper – Seriously. This is always a good tip, but it is extra important if you are out in public and do not have a change of clothes for yourself. Be especially wary in the first few weeks, when baby boys are a little extra free with their pee fountains.
  9. Penis points down in the diaper – If you don’t follow this rule, everything near baby will end up wet, including you.
  10. Pack light – My packing list is short for outings: baby (don’t forget him!!!), diapers, wipes, portable changing pad, changes of clothes, baby hat, baby sunglasses, burp rags, blanket, pacifier, wallet, car keys. It all fits in one diaper bag. So I end up carrying around a diaper bag (no purse) and a car seat. Easy peasy. Having less to haul around makes going out with baby much less stressful