My brain is drained

Filed Under Diapers/Potty, Difficult Stuff, Into Everything, Sleep, Slinging, Three Years Old, Two Months- Taylor | 2 Comments

I feel like I need to tell you why I haven’t really been blogging– just posting pictures with a few captions here and there. It’s because when I finally get to sit down, I usually don’t have both hands free. And I get sick of typing with one hand. My brain is tired, but I’ve been getting enough sleep. (Shocking, right? I really have though). My brain is tired because of what happens during my awake hours.

I have a very feisty three-year-old who flat out refuses to go potty. We actually attempted potty training last week, as recommended by our pediatrician. It basically resulted in my child peeing everywhere but the toilet, mostly on purpose, throwing wet undies, and telling me she was NOT going to go potty. In her words, “It’s just for other girls.” Can we say strong willed? We have also had a few incidents involving spitting, kicking, squeezing her brother’s face, and just general disobedience. Oh, and let’s not forget that she dumped the entire thing of fish food into the aquarium, clogging the filter and requiring and emergency evacuation from the tank. Because I had nothing better to do that afternoon. When we were at the store she grabbed a barcode scanner and tried to play “store lady.” She has also recently climbed onto the countertop and played with the dish soap and colored with a sharpie, as pictured here.

Taylor likes to be held all.the.time… he is starting to like other people besides just me, so that is refreshing. Although I’m still his favorite (and I secretly hope I always am!) but he is just a much needier baby than Bailey was. He wants constant comforting and bouncing and eye contact. Until last week he was almost inconsolable unless he was nursing. We finally figured out that he was actually uncomfortable and not just being a pain. Yes it took me nine weeks to realize that, and yes I feel guilty. So he started on Mylanta last week and it has made a world of difference. He still wants to be held but at least he is pleasant while being held and not screaming or fussing. But basically I have a constant companion. He nurses anywhere from every two to three hours during the day, but more like every hour in the evening. He’s cute though, isn’t he?

A few days ago it was SO bad though. Bailey was screaming, he was screaming, the house was trashed… I sat down in the kitchen and cried and called my mom. She came and rescued me and it was wonderful- but sometimes I feel like I am not cut out to be a mom. I just honestly suck at it sometimes. I love my kids like crazy but between the two of them it’s just exhausting emotionally.

At night, he sleeps with me so I have no idea how often he nurses. Honestly, we go to bed and get up eight hours later. Sometime during the night I know that he eats, and we flip over so he can eat on the other side as well. I know sometimes he goes longer than others because sometimes I leak and other times I don’t. But I think it’s all subconscious for both of us- it’s just like an instinct. I know that sometimes I feel his feet starting to move next to me and then I snuggle up next to him so he can eat and then we are both back asleep before I know it. Eight weeks ago, this was making me crazy. I had never planned to co sleep. But we get such good sleep, and I can function normally during the day. Someday I will worry about getting him into his own bed. (Yes, he does sleep there on occasion for an hour or so). It’s amazing how I am such a different mother with him, because he is such a different child.

All this to say, when I have my hands free, it is probably my only free half hour in a 24 hour period. Or Jonathon is holding Taylor so I can get something ready to ship, or I am making dinner. Taylor likes the Baby Bjorn but it’s not practical to have him in there all day. The sling makes me crazy after a while. But this is our life for now. I’m happy, just drained and so blogging is last on my list if it involves thinking.

Slinging the baby

Filed Under Firsts, Input Needed, Newborn- Taylor, Slinging | 2 Comments

I have been putting him in the sling a little bit just so I can have my hands free. At first he didn’t seem to like it and I got kind of frustrated. I think I needed to pull out the slack from the middle but I kept pulling the edges (this will only make sense if you have a sling). It must have been twisted funny… but the last few times he has enjoyed just looking around. He loves to stare at our dining room chandelier and at the Golden lighting fixtures. I keep him facing out so that he doesn’t think about eating. He has fallen asleep and kind of catnapped in it but no “real” naps yet.

He also seems to like the Baby Bjorn (I honestly don’t know why anyone would like being in that position with their arms and legs stuck out crazy). Unfortunately he is still a little too small for it and his face just smooshes against my chest and I get worried that he can’t breathe. I think he is right at 7 pounds right now so I need to look up the weight for the Bjorn. (Okay just looked it up and it says starting at 8 pounds so we will wait a little while before trying again). I didn’t have this with Bailey, but I used to use one with the baby I took care of several years ago. He was a huge baby though so it wasn’t comfortable for too long. I am looking forward to using this carrier with Taylor.

Here he is the first time in the sling.

I would be curious to hear from any mamas who have another type of sling. Ours is the Kangaroo Kids Ring Sling. I have been curious about the Moby and the Mei Tei… can’t remember which is which at the moment though. I have also heard good things about the Ergo carrier.

Grant’s Farm Day

Filed Under Four Months, Outings, Slinging, St. Louis | 3 Comments

Our stupid camera is still gone… but here are some pics from my mom’s camera, taken on a recent Grant’s Farm trip with my mom and grandma.

Her eyes were watering from the wind on the tram ride…

So we decided to break out the cool sunglasses!

Bailey really seemed to notice the animals this time, compared to previous visits. It is so much fun to see how observant she is becoming.

Worn out from our big morning!

Look at that face

We stopped and took advantage of the two free drinks per guest. Thank you, Anheuser-Busch. We also got some snacks at their outdoor kitchen type area and sat and took a break. Sometimes I forgot how fast my grandma gets tired. It was nice that she was able to walk as much as she did, and that she could enjoy the park with us

Slingin’

Filed Under Baby Gear, Daddy, Four Months, Slinging | 6 Comments

Before I had Bailey, I was really skeptical about baby slings in general. I thought they looked really crunchy. Now, I don’t know what I would do without my sling. Bailey absolutely loves being in it, and it’s so easy to use. I think one of the best things about my sling is that it doesn’t have to be adjusted for height depending on whether it’s me or Jonathon using it. Oh wait, except he doesn’t use it.

I have had a ring sling since before she was born. My mom insisted on buying it. I will admit there is kind of a learning curve to using it, but now I am very comfortable with it. I think the best thing about slings is that the baby can be bunched up how they are comfortable instead of just dangling. Also, there is the flexibility to use it facing forwards, backwards, on my hip, cradle position… and if I was really good I could use it to breastfeed and carry her on my back. I’m not that good.

Anyway I ventured out and got ANOTHER sling. Different than my first one. This one is from slinglings.com and it’s awesome! It’s not a ring sling- it’s actually fitted to your size. I had to give them some measurements (I just measured myself using a measuring tape) and then they selected the correct size and sent it to me. At first when I got it, I thought it looked way too small. But once I tried it I realized it was the perfect size. These people really know what they are doing!

The nice thing is that this sling requires no adjusting, and the ring doesn’t have to be tightened occasionally, and the cloth doesn’t ever get twisted around. At first it seemed to loose around the top but then I figured out to flip over the top of the fabric (like in the pic with Jonathon holding her) and it fits much more snugly. Also there is a padded part on the edge of the cloth that makes it pretty comfy.

Here are some pics of me trying out my new toy.

(I know I am wearing it too low on my shoulder, but at that point I was trying to get it tight enough around Bailey so that she didn’t lean back, and I hadn’t discovered flipping the material yet)

I was amazed that Jonathon was so willing to try this. He is terrified of the ring sling. He had one difficult experience trying to use it and he is scared of it now, I think. He was willing to try this sling on right away, and I think he kind of liked it. This is also when we figured out to fold over the top layer of fabric to make it fit around Bailey better.

Also I know this sling is fitted to my size- but keep in mind that my size includes milk boobs and a pudgy tummy- so it fits Jonathon fairly well

I am trying to decide whether to bring my new sling out with us tomorrow. I really want to… but I am wondering if I should use it around the house a little more to get more comfortable with it first. Although I will have the stroller too… (We are going to a childrens zoo type place with my mom and grandma). I always bring the sling even if we have the stroller, because she likes to be up where she can see everything sometimes

Anyway, just curious who else uses slings, and if so, what kind? I am torn between my familiar but more difficult ring sling, and this new and potentially much easier fitted sling.