On the Mend

After nearly a week of being sick, Shelby is finally on the mend. She started out with a bad cold/flu virus that left her horribly congested and with fevers topping 103 degrees. She also vomited a couple of times. Once the fever broke, she broke out in a rash and also developed an ear and respiratory infection. She's now on antibiotics and an inhaler treatment for a week. Shelby is in a much better mood now, poor baby! When she was sick, she was fussy anytime she was awake and only a car ride or stroller walk would soothe her. It was terrible to see her suffer!

11 Months Old

Some things about Shelby at 11 months old:

• Right at 10 months - the time she started crawling - she dropped a nap and now usually only naps once a day, for anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. She sometimes takes a short snooze in the late afternoon on the way home from school. She has never been a big sleeper, which is fine with me because it's much easier to do things on the weekend when you only have to plan around one nap.
• She LOVES avocados and would eat them at every meal if we let her. She also likes cheese and Cheerios and eats a wide variety of food at school. We could probably be better about feeding her the same things we eat and offering her more table food at home.
• She loves to feed herself and will pretty much refuse to be spoon fed at all. She also likes to toss food and her cup from the high chair, which is very annoying for us, but fun for the cat.
• It's getting more and more difficult to breastfeed her during the day. She is just way too distractible and wants to sit up, look around, wiggle and do anything but stay still and nurse. It's rather frustrating but we are close to the one year mark and I am OK with child led weaning. Plus, she bit me once while nursing the other day, which was NOT fun.
• She still only has her two bottom teeth.
• She pulls up on her knees and can get from laying on her back to sitting up very easily now.
• She looks like a wind up toy when she crawls. She never did the "army crawl" on her belly and instead went straight to regular crawling.
• She now weighs 18 pounds and 10 ounces! We did not end up having to supplement with formula; we just gave her more nutrient dense solids. We gave her a sip of formula just to see her reaction and she hated it. She loves to drink water from her sippy cup though.
• She had a little congestion last week, which - being in daycare -was nothing out of the ordinary and we thought she was starting to feel better by the weekend. However, she got much sicker on Saturday night, with a fever topping 103. She was pretty much miserable any time she was awake and it was so awful to see her suffer. We went on lots of car rides and stroller walks - the only thing that would soothe her. It's horrible to see your baby sick! She also rubs her eyes a lot when she is feeling bad, so she looks puffy and swollen and so pitiful!

New pictures are up in the gallery, including our day trip to Arabia Mountain. Look on the right side of the page or click here.

The Wonder Weeks

Have you heard of a book called The Wonder Weeks? It's a book by two Dutch child development experts that explains the developmental growth spurts that happen during your baby's first year or so of life. They have concluded that babies can have fussy periods around a "leap" time because their brains are working so hard at learning new things. It sounded interesting to me, so I downloaded the iPhone app that summarized each leap (because who has time to read a whole book?!)

On the app, you enter your baby's due date and it calculates the approximate date range (in weeks) when your baby makes her developmental leaps. The handy little calendar, shown above, shows where your baby is at the moment. See the little blue baby? See the angry storm clouds that have been hanging around for the past month or so? I'd say this app is pretty accurate!

Shelby has been mastering crawling lately and her sleeping has suffered for it. She will wake up at night, crawl around in her crib, sit up and start crying because she does not know how to lay back down yet! Throw in some suspected teething and you can have 2-3 wake ups a night and one tired mama. She is normally pretty good at sucking her thumb and going to sleep easily without crying, so when she wakes up, I know something is up.

Hopefully this developmental leap theory is correct and happy sunny days are ahead of us, literally and figuratively. That is, until the next leap, which looks like it could be related to walking.

Did your baby have seemingly unexplained fussy phases? How did you help them cope?

Welcoming Warmer Weather

On the way home from lunch Sunday, we stopped at a new park (Mary Scott Park at the corner of Shallowford and Briarcliff) and we were pleasantly surprised by the nice little nature trail they just built. It was just the right length for a quick walk with a little one, and it felt so good to get out and enjoy the sunshine. I can't wait until it gets warmer out. Spending time outdoors is so much more enjoyable with a baby and now that Shelby is mobile, there's whole new world to explore.

Baby Must Haves

I was recently helping a friend with her registry and racked my brain for everything baby related I have used in the first ten months of Shelby's life. Here's my list of must-haves, nice-to-haves and things I didn't use or need. I thought I'd repost it here so I can remember it. So... here is my exhaustive list of all things baby!

Newborn Items
Layette

• A couple of packs of diapers in newborn and size one. I liked Pampers for when Shelby was tiny but recently switched to generic
• Wipes – I love the Sam’s/Costco generic brand big box
• Onesies – long and short sleeve or cotton footie sleepers. I like Carter’s brand because they run true to size
• Socks- I love Trumpette or any kind of cute shoe sock.
• One or two pairs of mitts to prevent face scratching
• Wash cloths or cloth diapers for wiping up drool, spit ups, etc.
• Aden + Anais swaddle blankets – love these
  

Feeding

• Medela Pump in Style pump
• Medela freezing and storage set (box of 12 smaller bottles for pumping)
• Medela pump and save bags
• Nursing pads
• Bottle brush
• Microwave steam sterilizer
• Bottle drying rack
• Bottles – DON’T get a bunch of one kind until you figure out what kind of bottle she will take. I spent a ton of money on different bottles before finding one that Shelby would take. She finally ended up with Dr. Browns bottles.
• Nursing bras – I like the Target brand. Get the kind with NO underwire and get about three or four.
  

Infant Care

• Infant tub – I have The First Years tub
• A couple of hooded towels and packs of wash cloths
• Mylicon gas drops
• Infant Tylenol and Motrin – generic/Target brand is OK
• Enfamil D Vi Sol
• Digital rectal thermometer
• Nasal aspirator – I LOVE this thing called Baby Comfy Nose – so much better than the bulb – you can get it on Amazon. The hospital will probably give you a regular bulb aspirator
• Saline drops
• Diaper cream, baby wash and lotion – I like Aveeno because Shelby has sensitive skin
• Aquaphor ointment
• Nail clippers
• Baby Vicks
• Brush and comb set
• Hand sanitizer and hand soap
• Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier
  

Other Gear

• Graco SnugRide infant carrier plus an extra base or two
• Bouncy seat
• Baby size clothes hangers – one or two packs
• Baby monitor – an inexpensive one is OK. You don’t need a video monitor. We just use ours when we are downstairs – we do not even use it upstairs because we just keep our doors open. I got the Fisher Price one with a nightlight and plug in receivers so we don’t burn through batteries
• A changing mat or kit – you can just keep this inside a regular tote bag instead of getting a special diaper bag. I thought most of the diaper bags were ugly and felt cheap. You can get a cute tote bag or personalized bag instead of the limited choice of diaper bags available
• Stroller Frame – get this instead of a travel system or large stroller. You just sit the infant carrier in it and it is SO much easier to fold up and transport than a full size stroller
• Crib sheets – two or three at most
• Waterproof crib mattress cover
• Boppy pillow – I did not really use it for nursing, I more used it for a place to sit Shelby beside me on the couch, although you should not leave them unattended in it
• My Breast Friend – a lot of my friends have this brand of nursing pillow and love it

Feeding Items for Six Months+

• Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food kit (if you make your own food)
• Especially for Baby freezer food tray set
• You don’t need a special baby food making appliance – if you have a food processor that will do just fine
• Munchkin suction bowl set with lids
• Bumkins waterproof bibs
• Gerber soft bite spoons
• Sippy cups – same with bottles - you might have to try a bunch before finding one she likes. Shelby ended up liking the cheap Take and Toss brand
• High chair – get one with the least amount of padding possible, because it will just get gross. If space is at a premium, I’d recommend to just get a booster seat that straps to a dining chair. I have the Svan highchair.

Nice to Have Items, But Not Necessary

• Swing - see if you can borrow this from someone - some babies do not like swings and you really don't use it much after they are out of newborn stage. The Fisher Price Papasan swing is very popular
• Exersaucer or Jumperoo for when they are about 5 months+
• Nursing cover
• Itzbeen Baby Care Timer – I loved this thing, especially in the early days when you are focused on keeping track of how many poos they have, how long they nurse, etc.
• Sling or carrier – Ergo is the best brand – better for your back that the Bjorn, although some babies do not like slings, so it’s not a must have
• Crib mobile
• Crib mirror
• Tummy time “gym” or play mat (with little dangly toys that hang down from arches)
• Combo shopping cart/high chair cover for outings once they can sit up on their own
• Fleece Halo sleep sacks
• Car mirrors

Items for Later On ...

• Umbrella or lightweight stroller for when she is old enough to sit up – I LOVE my Maclaren – I keep this in my car for errands, mall walks etc.
• Jog stroller if you do a lot of outdoor walking on uneven surfaces – I LOVE my Joovy Zoom
• Pack N Play – get the biggest one you can get if you plan to use it for a while as a travel crib
• Britax carseat(s) for when they are out of the infant carrier – Britax is the most highly rated brand, but they are expensive - wait for a sale to buy
• Leap Frog musical table – every baby loves this thing for some reason
• Safety items like baby gate, outlet covers, cabinet locks, etc. Don’t go crazy buying this stuff until you figure out what you need and where you need it
• Small toys like teethers, rattles, clip on toys, etc.
• Books – only get board books for now. They will rip/eat regular page books

Things I didn't need

• Nice clothing – people will buy you lots of clothes. Babies mostly wear jammies the first six months anyway. You won’t need a lot of nice outfits at first. I like Carter's play wear for everyday wear - tunics and leggings are my favorite
• Receiving blankets – too small for swaddling
• Other blankets – nice to have for the stroller or car seat if it’s chilly, but not necessary for sleeping
• Changing table or pad – if you have a guest bed in the baby’s room, just put a towel and waterproof pad down and change on that.
• Diaper Genie or wipes warmer – not necessary! I just got a small covered trash can at Ikea
• Bumbo – we barely used this
• Bottle warmer
• Shoes – they do not need shoes until they can walk!
  

Parent Fail Moment

Can I make a confession? I had my first big parent fail moment this week. The moment where you do something really boneheaded and feel like a horrible mother... you know what I'm talking about. Scott was out of town for work for two nights and I had morning duty. Usually, Scott does everything in the morning - getting Shelby dressed, ready and out the door - and I do everything in the afternoon - pickup, feeding dinner, bathing, etc. This division of labor is like a finely choreographed dance and everything normally runs like clockwork.

Since I was the only one home, I had to sit Shelby on the floor of the bathroom while I showered and in a split second, she somehow got into my bottle of prenatal vitamins (with the childproofed cap). She did not swallow any, but she managed to get two of them in her mouth long enough to dissolve the pink coating. I of course freaked out and called poison control because poking your head out of the shower and seeing your baby goofily grinning and drooling pink drool, while holding handfuls of pills is not a happy sight. She also wasn't too pleased when I had to jab my finger in her mouth to pull out the half chewed vitamins. How could I have been so dumb to leave them in her reach? Ugh.

And if things could not get much worse, the second morning when Scott was away, I managed to get a speeding ticket on the way to dropping Shelby off. The drive there is not a route I normally take and I was totally oblivious to the lower speed limit. DERP. I am a dummy. Who cannot keep it together for even two days by myself. Dear husband: please never go out of town again.

Have you ever had a parent fail moment?

Shelby Crawling

AKA the mouse who wanted cheese.