101 in 1,001 Week 13 Update

Goal #13: Post a blog update about each completed task — Baby Play Date

Goal #16: Write in journal at least once a week — Wrote Friday afternoon

Goal #62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — Applied to four jobs during the week

Goat #66: Go to a baby playdate — I hosted a baby play date yesterday! 

Goal #87: Update cooking blog at least once a week — Lemon Bars, Basic Muffins, Chicken and Asparagus in White Wine Sauce, Pork Chops with Pinot Noir Sauce

Goal #96: Lead an animal shelter adoption event once a month — I led an adoption event at a local PetSmart; one dog got adopted!

Baby Play Date!

BabyL had his first play date this afternoon. Four friends and their babies all came over to play. BabyL was the youngest baby; three of the babies, two boys and a girl, were around 9 months of age; and the fourth, a boy, was almost 11 months old. 

BabyL was also the only non-mobile baby. He's been experimenting with getting on his hands and knees; he just can't coordinate getting onto all four at once. 

But he loved watching the other babies, and even tried to get fresh with the baby girl. He shared all his toys without complaint. And we got a picture of all of them together before everybody went home. 

101 in 1,001 Week 12 Update

Goal #13: Post a blog update about each completed task — BabyL's First Taste of Solids

Goal #16: Write in journal at least once a week — wrote Sunday morning

Goal #62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — Applied for 1 job Thursday morning

Goal #87: Update cooking blog at least once a week — French Toast Casserole, Cinnamon Rolls, Fresh Fruit Parfaits, Mango Bellinis, Black Bean Burgers

BabyL's First Taste of Solids

We had intended to wait until BabyL turned six months old before introducing him to puréed food. However, he was beginning to show signs that he was ready a few weeks early. Those signs included: 

• He reverted to nursing every two hours instead of every three and began waking in the middle of the night to eat when he had been sleeping through the night;
• He was intently watching us eat and imitating our chewing motions;
• He was able to sit well when supported and has excellent head control (meaning he'd be able to turn his head away from the spoon to indicate he did not want any more food); and
• He had doubled his birth weight. 

So, I bought a sweet potato, peeled it, cubed it, and steamed it. Then I puréed it with my immersion blender, and froze it into 1-ounce cubes in an ice cube tray. Once they were frozen, I transferred them to a plastic freezer storage bag and wrote the contents and the date on the bag. 

I defrosted one cube, then put half of one (so, half an ounce) in a bowl. I mixed it with an equal amount of expressed milk to make it very liquid. 

Then we put L in the high chair (which I swear has more straps than an F16 fighter jet), and gave him a tiny spoonful. 

He really wasn't sure what to make of it. 

Since then, he's also tried pears. He seemed interested in them the first day, but after that wanted no part of them. I have banana ready to go, and we will also introduce butternut squash and oatmeal. He's still not that crazy about this new method of eating and usually only eats about two bites, but I don't want to create a negative association with eating, so when he fusses, we stop. 

101 in 1,001 Week 11 Update

Goal #16: Write in journal at least once a week — wrote Thursday afternoon

Goal #62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — applied for 1 job on Wednesday evening 

Goal #87: Update cooking blog at least once a week — Steak with Parmesan Spinach

101 in 1,001 Week 10 Update

Goal #16: Write in journal at least once a week — wrote Thursday afternoon

Goal #27: Make BabyL's first puréed food — I steamed and puréed a sweet potato and BabyL had his first taste today!

Goal #62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — applied for 1 job on Sunday evening 

Goal #87: Update cooking blog at least once a week — Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

101 in 1,001 Week 9 Update

Goal #16: Write in journal at least once a week — wrote Wednesday morning

Goal #62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — applied for 1 job on Friday evening (and got a 10-hour-a-week work-from-home contract job!)

Goal #87: Update cooking blog at least once a week — Feeding Baby Solids

22-Week Comparison

101 in 1,001 Week 8 Update

Goal #16: Write in journal at least once a week — wrote Wednesday morning

Goal #62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — applied for 1 job on Thursday evening (and had a job interview Wednesday afternoon)

Goal #87: Update cooking blog at least once a week with a new recipe + photo — Strawberry Macarons with White Chocolate Ganache, Croque Monsieur sandwiches

Goal #95: Complete a “30 Things to Make in my 30’s” List — I made onion rings and macarons

Approaching 5 Months

Liam will be 5 months old this Saturday. Wow, 5 months. Time is flying by; Liam is growing way too fast. 

Liam is still exclusively breastfed. We plan to wait until he is six months to introduce solids. I am still unemployed and home with him all day. Our typical day goes like this: 

4:30 a.m.: Wake up, nurse, go back to bed
6:30 a.m.: Wake up for the day, change diaper, mom eats breakfast while Liam sits in his bouncy seat
7:30 a.m.: Nurse
8:00 a.m.: Floor time (tummy time, play with Oball, floor mirror, name different stuffed animals, etc.)
9:00 a.m.: Nap for about 30 to 45 minutes
9:45 a.m.: Change diaper, then more floor time, encourage Liam to roll over, sing songs, play peek-a-boo, watch the dogs wrestle in the kitchen
10:30 a.m.: Nurse
11:00 a.m.: Jumperoo time while Mommy preps food for dinner (marinate meat, chop veggies, etc.)
11:20 a.m.: Hang out in Liam's crib, looking at the stim mobile, playing with the crib piano, etc. 
12:00 p.m.: Back to the living room for quieter floor time; nurse
12:30 p.m.: Nap; Mommy eats lunch and has a quick shower
1:30 p.m.: Change diaper, take the dogs out for a walk (if weather is nice, we use a baby carrier; if not, we use the City Mini)
2:30 p.m.: Run errands, or hang out in the living room singing songs, playing with the dogs, reading stories, e,tc. 
3:30 p.m.: Nurse, then nap
4:30 p.m.: More jumperoo time while Mommy starts dinner
5:00 p.m.: Daddy comes home and plays with Liam while Mommy finishes dinner
7:00 p.m.: Bath, then lotion massage, then nurse, then bedtime

Developmental milestones we're looking for: passing toys from hand-to-hand; responding when someone says his name; playing with his feet

101 in 1,001 Week 7 Update

Goal #6: Watch 25 of the AFI’s Top 100 movies — watched To Kill a Mockingbird on 4/7

Goal #16: Write in journal at least once a week — wrote Friday night

Goal #62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — applied for 1 job on Friday evening

Goal #87: Update cooking blog at least once a week with a new recipe + photo — Caprese Burgers and Homemade Onion Rings, Gruyere and Sage-Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Tilapia with Honey Scallion Dressing

Milestone: Rolling Over

BabyL rolled from his back to his tummy today! He was laying on a blanket on the floor. His monkey rattle was about two feet away (just out of his reach). You were almost able to see the concentration on his face as he tried to figure out how to move closer to the rattle. 

It's used to be a little unusual for babies to roll from back to tummy first; they usually roll from tummy to back first, but now that babies are being put to sleep on their backs as part of the anti-SIDS campaign, more and more are rolling from back to tummy. 

Of course, we were home by ourselves. I tried to call D, but got his voicemail. I finally got a hold of him and told him I had something to show him. And when he got home, BabyL was tired of rolling over! Oh well. 

Baby Toys

So, what toys does BabyL play with at around 4 months of age? (Please note: I have not received any compensation from any company listed below in exchange for mentioning their product.)

He has a soft monkey rattle that usually elicits a smile. When he was younger, it fit around his wrist, so it would rattle when he waved his arms, but now he is able to grasp the rattle himself. 

He also has a multi-colored sock monkey from D's mother. D was playing with this toy with BabyL when we heard the first giggle. 

BabyL also likes the Topsy Turtle Mirror Rattle by Infantino (pictured at left) It has lots of bright colors, a mirror on its belly, and the legs make noise. 

I recently picked up an Oball by Rhino Toys. It's about 4 inches in diameter, and made of very flexible plastic. All of the openings are perfect fingerholds for little hands. And BabyL loves all the bright colors. 

We also have this Fisher Price piano hanging on the side of his crib (BabyL still sleeps in a play yard in our room; we expect to transition him to his crib around 6 months). So far, BabyL only accidentally hits the keys while waving his arms in his crib. Hitting a key triggers the piano to play a short song. 

We also have an unbreakable mirror from Sassy. This can be propped up on the floor, or tied to the side of a crib. We play with it during tummy time on the living room floor. The bird has a jingle ball in it, and the ball in the center of the turtle up top turns, the sun spins in a circle, and there is a rubber teething ring on the side. 

And finally, I recently purchased the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Puppy. It's marketed for babies 6 months and up, but BabyL seems to like the songs it plays. The Laugh and Learn puppy teaches parts of the body (ear, heart, tummy, hand, foot), colors, and sings songs like the ABC's, and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. 

BabyL: 4 month update

BabyL went for his 4-month well baby visit on Tuesday. He weighed in at 15 lbs 1.3 ounces (43rd percentile); measured 25.25 inches long (54th percentile) and his head circumference is 16.5 inches (31st percentile). 

He is developing well. He is close to rolling over, he makes "ahh," "ooh," and "goo" sounds. He knows the sounds of my and D's voices, and recognizes our faces. He holds objects in his hands. She said his torso muscles are developing well, though he still needs quite a bit of support to sit upright. 

He got another round of vaccines: one oral, and two injections. He had no reaction to the first round, but this time around, he did have a fever of 100.8 degrees. 

She said that he will soon start passing objects from hand-to-hand. He will increase his "vocabulary." He will roll over. He will start grabbing his own feet. He will learn his name. She said that we could begin 1st stage baby foods whenever we feel comfortable, but I've chosen to wait to closer to 6 months. For now, BabyL is still exclusively breastfed. 

101 in 1,001 Week 6 Update

Goal #16: Write in journal at least once a week — wrote Friday afternoon

Goal #62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — applied for 1 job on Friday evening

Goal #87: Update cooking blog at least once a week with a new recipe + photo — Quick-Brined Pork Chops with Roasted Butternut Squash; Alton Brown's Baked Mac & Cheese; Strawberry Yogurt Scones

101 in 1,001 Week 5 Update

Goal #16: Write in journal at least once a week — wrote Friday evening

Goal #62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — applied for 4 jobs on Thursday evening

Goal #87: Update cooking blog at least once a week with a new recipe + photo — Lemon-Honey Glazed Salmon

101 in 1,001 Week 4 Update

Goal #7: Go to a sporting event once a year — going to a professional hockey game tonight!

Goal #16: Write in journal at least once a week — wrote Friday afternoon

Goal #62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — applied for 2 jobs this week (and had two job interviews!)

Goal #87: Update cooking blog at least once a week with a new recipe + photo — Spanikopita

Goal #96: Lead an animal shelter adoption event once a month — lead an adoption event at a local PetSmart on Sunday

101 in 1,001 Week 3 Update

Goal #16: Write in journal at least once a week — wrote Sunday evening

Goal #62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — applied for 4 jobs on Thursday evening

Goal #87: Update cooking blog at least once a week with a new recipe + photo — Poached Pears

Goal #95: Complete a "30 Things to Make in my 30's" list — made Spanikopita on 3/11/2012

Milestone: Giggling!

We heard BabyL's first giggle tonight (at nearly 16 weeks). I almost melted into the floor, it was so adorable! 

BabyL was hanging out in his crib and D was keeping him entertained while I made dinner. They were playing with BabyL's sock monkey and D was making it dance on the baby's belly. Well, BabyL thought that was hilarious! 

Unfortunately, I was stuck at the stove and couldn't get to the nursery to see him, but hopefully we will hear it many more times and I'll able to catch it on video. 

101 in 1,001 Week 2 Update

Goal #16: Write in journal at least once a week — wrote Saturday evening

Goal #62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — applied for 3 jobs Wednesday night

Goal #87: Update cooking blog at least once a week with a new recipe + photo — White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

101 in 1,001 Week 1 Update

#16: Write in journal at least once a week — I wrote this morning; content is private!

#62: Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired — I applied for 5 jobs Wednesday evening.

#87: Update cooking blog at least once a week with a new recipe + photo — Mediterranean Tilapia with Lemon-Dill Sauce

Baby Gear: Around the House

The things in this category are not a requirement for everyone. These items worked best for our situation.

I knew that I wanted BabyL to sleep in our room for at least the first few weeks. He is now 3 months old, and still in our room. Right now, I'm thinking we'll transition him to his nursery around 6 months, but I continue to re-evaluate.

So, BabyL needed a place to sleep, since moving his crib into our room wasn't an option. I didn't want to buy a bassinet that would essentially be useless after a couple of weeks. I opted for a play yard that had a bassinet insert, and chose the Chicco Lullaby LX Play Yard (in Adventure pattern, the same as our car seat). To be honest, I don't remember why I chose the Chicco over the more-popular Graco. I like the bassinet insert (can be used up to 15 pounds), and I thought the mobile was cute (though it made it harder to place BabyL in the play yard, and was also distracting him while I was trying to get him to sleep). I thought the remote control included to operate the vibration, nightlight and music was a bit over the top, but it was convenient in the middle of the night to turn the vibration on with the remote without getting out of bed. However, only three months in, the vibration feature has stopped working. It's not the battery, because the nightlight, and the music still work. I've contacted Chicco, but haven't gotten a response yet.

I purchased a Graco Silhouette used from Craigslist, since our daycare requires we provide one for naps (they don't use mini cribs). It has pretty much all the same features as the Chicco — bassinet insert, music/vibration, and a changing table attachment. No nightlight, no mobile, but it does have a canopy to block the sun if you choose to use the play yard outdoors. 

The Graco Silhouette is a few pounds light than the Chicco, but both fold easily and have wheels on one end.

We also opted to register for a swing. We chose the Fisher Price My Little Snugabunny Swing, primarily because it while it can run on batteries, it also includes an AC adapter. As a bonus, the swing cradle faces three different directions, plays music, and has a mobile. The cover is removable and machine-washable. 

This swing is large, and takes up a lot of room, but it gets a lot of use. BabyL slept in this for the first month — he seemed to be overwhelmed by the bassinet of the play yard. I've seen some complaints that the slowest setting on the swing is too fast (it has six speed settings), but as your baby grows and gets heavier, his weight slows the swing down. It can be used up to 25 pounds. 

We also chose the Fisher Price My Little Snugabunny Bouncer, just because it matched the swing. I wouldn't call it portable. It's easy enough to carry from room to room, but it's not easy to transport to Grandma's, but for us, that wasn't necessary, since Grandma bought a bouncer seat for her house. The bouncer has an overhead bar that has two birds that hang down. BabyL loves to look up at the birds. The seat vibrates, and plays 8 different songs and nature sounds. The cover is removable and machine-washable. The seat can be used up to 25 pounds. 

A diaper pail is not a necessary piece of baby equipment for every household, but it was for us. For one thing, we live in an apartment, and it would be very inconvenient to bag up every dirty diaper and carry it to the dumpster, especially in inclement weather. For another thing, White Dog has a penchant for eating things he should not, and it would be very dangerous for him to eat a disposable diaper, given the absorbent gels they contain. So, the diaper pail contains the stench of the dirty diapers, and keeps them out of White Dog's stomach. A win all around. We chose the Munchkin Arm & Hammer diaper pail. Baby Bargains gives it a "B" rating, saying that Munchkin claims it has a lid that opens with one had when it really doesn't. I don't know if Munchkin has updated the lid since the book was published, but I have no trouble opening the lid with one hand. The diaper pail comes with three refill bags, and a package of 10 refills costs $6.99. You can refill the odor absorber with any baking soda (which we haven't had to do yet). 

A humidifier is recommended because babies' noses become easily congested. It also helps with dry skin. We chose a Crane humidifier. They have twelve adorable animal shapes as well as a teardrop shapes for the adults. We have the penguin. The humidifier is easy to assemble, easy to refill, and easy to clean. 

An activity gym is a mat where baby can look up at lights and shapes, reach for toys, and provides a soft place for Baby's Tummy Time. We have the Fisher Price Rainforest Melodies mat, but really, I don't think there's a bad one on the market. Ours plays 20 minutes' worth of music at two different volumes. There are red and yellow lights that flash at slow intervals. It comes with six toys that hang from the arches, and can be moved around. It also has a "mode" where the music will only come on if Baby moves the mat, which helps baby learn cause and effect, and motivates them to reach for and bat at objects. The mat folds easily for transport. 

Another item that we found useful, especially in the early days BabyL was home, was a baby gate. I actually bought this years before BabyL was born, when I was sure I would never have kids! I bought it for dog containment. It's a Dreambaby Extra Tall baby gate. It comes with side extensions, so it will fit doorways 28 to 42.5 inches wide. And it still is pretty much for dog containment. I can leave BabyL strapped into his bouncy seat, and make a quick bathroom trip, shutting the dogs on the other side of the baby gate (because you never, EVER leave even the best-behaved dogs unattended with babies). 

In hindsight, we are mostly happy with our purchases. If I could go back and do it over again, I wouldn't register for a play yard. Instead, I would register for an Arms Reach Co-Sleeper. Yes, it looks like a bassinet, which I said I didn't want to waste money on. Unlike bassinets though, which are quickly outgrown (and usually poorly constructed), the Co-Sleeper is rated up to 50 pounds. I tend toward the crunchy side, but bed-sharing makes me nervous. I'm a light sleeper, but D is not. Plus, we could never break White Dog of his habit of sleeping on our bed. The Arms Reach Co-Sleeper would keep BabyL next to me, but in his own sleep space. 

Another alternative to the play yard is the Fisher Price Rock n Play Sleeper. The Rock n Play is for use up to 25 pounds (as opposed to the play yard bassinet's 15 pound weight limit). It takes up less room. And it's cheaper. And because the baby sleeps on a slight incline, it's excellent for babies with reflux. 

Baby Gear: On the Go

This Baby Gear post is dedicated to the items we use to transport BabyL. 

First, the infant car seat. Based on recommendations from both Baby Bargains and Consumer Reports, we chose the Chicco Keyfit 30 (pictured at left in the Adventure pattern). We also considered the Graco Snugride, but went with the Chicco because friends commented that the straps on the Chicco are easier to rethread than the Graco's. Chicco is approved for babies up to 30 lbs or 30 inches tall (whichever measurement the baby meets first). We may transition BabyL to a convertible car seat before meeting EITHER of those measurements, because right now, at only 15 pounds, it's getting harder to carry the car seat with him in it (or maybe I just need to hit the gym). We purchased a second base for D's car. After we installed the bases, we had them inspected by Safe Kids USA. 

We haven't decided yet which convertible car seat we'll use. We're considering the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1, but we haven't purchased it yet. 

On to strollers. I wanted a stroller that was lightweight (for carrying up and down the stairs to our apartment), easy to fold, and would handle walking over rough terrain (the sidewalks in our neighborhood are in desperate need of repair, and we occasionally walk the dogs in a local park with a dirt path). We chose the Baby Jogger City Mini. 

We also wanted to be able to use our stroller with the infant car seat, at least for the first month or two. We registered for both the Baby Jogger car seat adapter bar, and the Baby Trend Snap n Go. I figured that if anybody bought one for us, I would remove the other. In the end, we did not receive either as a gift, so I opted to buy the Snap n Go from Craigslist. I haven't regretted the decision. The Snap n Go is easy to fold, our car seat fits perfectly, and it has a roomy basket underneath. 

Chicco came out with its own stroller frame called the Caddy in the fall of 2011. However, it retailed for $30 more than the Snap n Go. Since the Chicco Keyfit fits perfectly into the Snap n Go, and I was on a really tight budget, I couldn't justify the extra money. 

Now that BabyL is three months old, we've started using the City Mini for going on walks with the dogs. It reclines flat, has adjustable straps, and I like that there are flaps in the canopy, so I can look down at BabyL without having to stop and walk around to the front of the stroller. The City Mini doesn't come with any attachments, like a parent tray, so we bought the Sunshine Kids parent tray. 

One more baby transport item that I felt was a great investment was a baby carrier. These have long been popular in other cultures, but "babywearing" only recently caught on in the mainstream United States. Some carriers work better for infants, and others are recommended for toddlers. I started out with a Moby wrap (pictured at left). Some are turned off by the Moby, thinking it's too difficult to learn to wrap, but after following along with an instructional video once, I was able to wrap on my own after that. Other carriers include ring slings, pouches, soft-structured carriers, woven wraps, and mei tais. 

101 Goals in 1,001 Days

Two years ago, I started the Day Zero project, also called "101 in 1001." But life got in the way, and I never finished. I have created a new list, and intend to start over again on February 27th, giving me until November 24, 2014 to finish.

So, what is the Day Zero Project?

The Challenge: 
Complete 101 pre-set tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: 
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Why 1001 Days? 
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, or outdoor activities.

So, here are my 101 goals:

For Myself:

1. Get a massage
2. Trash, sell, or donate 101 things (0/101)
3. Have boudoir photos taken
4. Reach goal weight of 140 lbs
5. Read 50 books (0/50)
6. Watch 25 of the AFI’s Top 100 movies (1/25)
7. Go to a sporting event once a year (1/3)
8. Go to a taping of The Chew
9. Go to a taping of the Rachael Ray Show
10. Attend a performance of the Pennsylvania Ballet's “The Nutcracker”
11. Visit Longwood Gardens at Christmastime
12. Weed out clothes I don’t wear anymore and donate them
13. Post a blog update about each completed task (2/101)
14. Stay off the Internet for one weekend (two days)
15. Do something with old wedding dress
16. Write in journal at least once a week (13/143)
17. Do the ballet toning DVD at least once a week for a month (0/4)

For My Relationship:

18. Beat D. in Wii Bowling 
19. Go horse-back riding with D.
20. Have a family portrait taken
21. Take a weekend trip with D.
22. Private

For My Family:

23. Breastfeed BabyL for one year
24. Have professional photos taken of BabyL at 1 year
25. Have professional photos taken of BabyL at 2 years
26. Have professional photos taken of BabyL at 3 years
27. Make BabyL's first puréed food
28. Take BabyL to a Flyers game
29. Take BabyL to the Please Touch Museum
30. Take BabyL to the zoo
31. Teach sign for "all done"
32. Teach sign for "bed"
33. Teach sign for "book"
34. Teach sign for "daddy"
35. Teach sign for "dog"
36. Teach sign for "hurt"
37. Teach sign for "milk"
38. Teach sign for "mommy"
39. Teach sign for "more"
40. Potty train BabyL
41. Take BabyL to Camden Aquarium
42. Conceive Baby #2
43. Create a will
44. Host a holiday dinner

For My Pets: 

45. Have professional photos of the dogs taken
46. Switch dogs to prey model raw diet
47. Teach White Dog to bow
48. Teach White Dog to fetch
49. Teach Brown Dog “Dog in a box”
50. Teach Brown Dog right and left
51. Train White Dog to pass the Canine Good Citizen test
52. Get Brown Dog to pass the TDI Therapy Dog Test

For My Home: 

53. Move out of Ravenswood
54. Buy new sofa
55. Buy new dishes
56. Buy a new (to me) car
57. Buy a speedlight
58. Buy a Keurig machine
59. Buy a lightscoop
60. Buy an external hard drive
61. Buy a video camera

For My Career: 

62. Apply to at least one job every week until I am hired
63. Attend one networking event every six months (0/5)
64. Find an association for graphic designers and join
65. Get a full-time job

For My Friends: 

66. Go to a baby playdate
67. Host a dinner party
68. Host a game night
69. Host a girls’ night

For My Finances: 

70. Create a budget
71. Deposit $5 for every task completed into ING savings account
72. Donate $1 for every task not completed to charity
73. Establish a 3-month emergency fund
74. Save $200 for vacation to Outer Banks
75. Track every dollar spent for a week
76. Improve credit score by 100 points
77. Open a safe deposit box
78. Pay off one student loan

For My Inner Chef: 

79. Enter a food-related contest
80. Get a Foodbuzz 24x24 proposal accepted
81. Get a photo posted on FoodGawker or Tastespotting
82. Organize digital recipes
83. Organize hard-copy recipes
84. Plan weekly meals from sale papers for one month
85. Plant indoor herb garden
86. Try 15 new restaurants (0/15)
87. Update cooking blog at least once a week with a new recipe + photo (13/143)
88. Bring reusable grocery bags while food shopping for a month
89. Shop at a farmers market once each summer (0/3)
90. Keep a food diary for one week
91. Reach 200 followers on blog Facebook fan page

For My Creative Side: 

92. Make vanilla extract from scratch
93. Make a Shutterfly photo book of Liam’s first year for grandparents
94. Complete 365 Project, posting photos on Facebook (0/365)
95. Complete a “30 Things to Make in my 30’s” List (4/30)

For My Giving Side: 

96. Lead an animal shelter adoption event once a month (3/33)
97. Leave a 100% tip
98. Pay the bridge/highway toll for the car behind me

For My Intellectual Side: 

99. Learn how to use my camera off auto-mode
100. Learn Adobe Flash
101. Learn CPR

Our Breastfeeding Experience So Far

I had not through much about breastfeeding vs. formula-feeding before becoming pregnant. I wasn't planning on having a child, so there wasn't much point in thinking too deeply about it. I didn't know anybody who breastfed their babies. My brother and I were formula-fed. My aunt fed her three kids formula. My cousin fed her two kids formula.

But halfway through my pregnancy, I decided I would give breastfeeding a try. D told me that it was what he preferred (hah! easy for him to say, he didn't have to do it), and also, it was free. Yeah, not the most common reasons women choose to breastfeed.

I ordered the book So That's What They're For by Janet Tamaro. I think I made it ¾ of the way through. What I did read was easy to understand, and at times funny. I read on The Bump's message boards that many lactation consultants don't give you both the pros and cons of breastfeeding — maybe because they're worried more women won't try it if they think it might be hard?

It had been a good two or three months since I'd read any of that book when BabyL arrived. All I remembered was that I should try to let him nurse within the first hour of him being born. I did not remember what a proper latch looked like. I tried to aim my nipple straight into the baby's mouth. Yeah, that hurt. You're supposed to aim your nipple up toward the roof of the baby's mouth. His latch was also a bit shallow at first.

But, my nurses kept telling me that his latch looked great, so we just kept going, though I did request to speak to a lactation consultant. The woman who came was … less than helpful. She was shocked that I didn't take a breastfeeding class. She also told me his latch looked good.

We kept nursing. It was REALLY starting to hurt. Another lactation consultant came in, and told me to aim my nipple up. At that point, my nipples were already visibly damaged. Nursing my son hurt worse than my labor pains. I was crying in pain, dreading each nursing session. But the doctors were worried about his weight loss, and wanted me to wake him every two hours to nurse, and wanted him to nurse for at least twenty minutes each session. 

Finally, the third nursing consultant showed me a new position I hadn't tried yet that put pressure on an undamaged part of my nipples. She advised that I pump for 24 hours, to give the time to heal. She gave me gel pads to put on my nipples when I wasn't nursing or pumping, and advised me to apply a heating pad to my breasts for five minutes before nursing. And slowly, my nipples began to heal.

But I still worried that BabyL wasn't getting enough. He seemed to eat CONSTANTLY. I forgot about the part in the book that described cluster feeding, and increased appetite during growth spurts. I obsessively weighed BabyL on my kitchen scale. 

I finally found a breastfeeding support group, and it was so relieving to hear stories from other moms that went through the same thing. The lactation consultant there gave me the best advice: ignore the clock. Ignore the rules. Read your baby's cues. You don't eat the same amount at each meal, right? Neither does your baby. So, if he eats for ten minutes, then falls asleep, let him sleep. Feed him when he gives you his "I"m hungry" cues (smacking his lips, trying to eat his hands, rooting). She also recommended another book, which I haven't had the opportunity to read yet, Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers by Nancy Mohrbacher and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett. 

Twelve weeks in, it's become second-nature to just latch him on. It doesn't hurt anymore (except the time I had a clogged duct, which went away with massage and applying heat). We had our first successful attempt at nursing in public, on a bench outside the pharmacy at Target. 

I've set mini-goals. First, I just wanted to make it two days. Then two weeks. Then one month. Then three months. My next goal is to make it through going back to work. Then through teething. My ultimate goal is to make it a full year. 

BabyL and the Dogs

Some background on the dogs.

I had Brown Dog first. A friend of mine adopted her from a shelter, and she lived with his other two dogs for a year, but then starting picking fights with his other, older female dog. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to send Brown Dog back to the shelter, but he had his older dog first, and she wasn't the one causing the problems. I offered to take Brown Dog. She came to live with me in December 2008, and we started some formal obedience training and working on her lack of confidence. She went on to earn her Canine Good Citizen title in November 2010.

White Dog also came from a shelter, the one where D and I met while volunteering. White Dog had been there for a while, was estimated to be about a year old, and was going crazy from lack of exercise. Because of an illness that was sweeping through the shelter, D and I fostered White Dog. He ended up fitting into our family really well, and we formally adopted him after a month. He suffers from an "overabundance of friendliness and lack of impulse control" and hasn't earned his Canine Good Citizen title yet.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I bought the book Childproofing your Dog by Brian Kilcommons. The number one reason that a dog is surrendered to a shelter is because the family has a new baby. We didn't want to add to that statistic. We had been lazy about their training, but we started being sticklers. No jumping on anybody. Walking on a loose leash. We tried getting them to stay off the furniture. Hasn't happened yet. It's hard to unlearn bad habits.

We slowly brought in the baby stuff. Too much change at once overwhelms our dogs, and stresses them out. We turned on the baby gear and the toys that move and make noise, so the dogs could get used to them. I started using the baby's lotions on myself, so they could get used to the new smells. We got a CD calling "Preparing Fido," which is a soundtrack of baby sounds. We put it on, and left it on all day and went about our business, so the dogs would learn that the noises were normal.

And despite all of our preparation, we still expected to have an adjustment period. And we did. White Dog was VERY fearful of the baby, and Brown Dog was stressed out, thinking it was her job to protect the baby from White Dog. It took about two weeks for the dogs to adjust. Brown Dog will still occasionally go on a food strike. White Dog still leaves the room when the baby cries.

One thing I want to stress is to never, ever leave the baby unattended with the dogs. No matter how well behaved your dog is, it's still a dog. Even the best behaved dogs, when stressed, can be react poorly. Please, if you have a dog, read up on body language. Dogs don't bite "out of the blue." They give non-verbal warnings, like yawning, licking their lips, turning their head, holding their tail high and stiff. And never correct a growl. A growl is usually your final warning before a bite — if you correct them for growling, they won't give you that final warning, and will just bite. 

More recommended reading: 

• Family Paws
• Living with Kids and Dogs
• Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide by Brenda Aloff
• Babies and Beasts (particularly the "anxiety," "babies," "baby," "baby proofing," "desensitizing," "growl," "NILIF," "snap," "statistics," and "the MOST IMPORTANT post in here" tags)
• American Humane's Pet Meets Baby booklet

If you feel that your dog has issues that you can't deal with on your own, I urge you to contact a behaviorist, not a trainer. Find one by searching these sites: 

• International Association of Behavior Consultants 
• Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists
• American College of Veterinary Behaviorists

Baby Gear: The Nursery

As a first-time mom (and a surprise one at that), I had no clue what to look for in baby gear. I was that person at the baby shower who, after each gift was opened, whispered to the woman sitting next to me, "What is that for?" I made the first-time mom mistake of checking out the "registry checklist" of a major baby department store, and got completely overwhelmed. 

Finally, someone saved me, and recommended I pick up a copy of Baby Bargains (I am not receiving any kickbacks, monetary or otherwise, for mentioning this book — or any other brands or products — on this blog). This book reviews tons of baby products, and makes recommendations based on usefulness, safety, and price. 

So, I'll start with the nursery. We were very lucky that a friend of a friend is into bidding on foreclosed storage units. They won one that contained two sets of furniture. Our mutual friend purchased one of the sets, which included a tall dresser, a long bureau, a night stand, and a toy chest/bench. All are solid wood, very durable. A lot of the furniture sold in baby stores uses fiberboard or particleboard, which is cheaper and less durable. The stuff that is solid wood is very expensive. If you're not concerned about your nursery furniture matching exactly, pick out storage pieces in regular furniture stores, rather than baby stores. 

Speaking of that long dresser, we placed a changing pad on top of it (placing a piece of nonskid rubber kitchen liner underneath to keep it in place), rather than spend the money on a changing table. We keep a JJ Cole diaper caddy stocked next to the pad, and keep extra diapers and wipes in the baby's closet. 

For his crib, we chose the DaVinci Emily 4-in-1 Convertible Crib in Honey Oak (which is a pretty darn close match to the finish of the rest of the nursery furniture). The crib will convert to a toddler bed, a day bed, and (if we purchase the conversion kit) a full-size bed. Any crib on the market meets federal safety standards, so take into consideration what the crib is constructed from, the finish, the aesthetics (is the hardware visible?), and whether it converts or not. 

The mattress in the crib is a Sealy Soybean Foam mattress. Crib mattresses will either be made with inner coils or with foam. You want to look for a firm mattress. Foam mattresses are lighter than coil, which makes middle-of-the-night sheet changes easier. 

Gliders are by no means mandatory, but I knew that I wanted to give breastfeeding a try, so I wanted a glider. I checked out Craigslist, and someone in my area was selling a gently used Dutailier (a very highly rated brand). While I wish the glider also had an ottoman, I really like having the glider. 

I wasn't planning on registering for a bedding set, knowing that it's strongly recommended to not use the coverlet and the bumpers that come with them. But, my mom wanted to buy the COMPLETE crib (crib, mattress and bedding), so I registered for Trend Lab's Giggles Green and Brown Modern Dots and Stripes. I love the green, yellow and brown color combination.

D did a lot of research on child development, and read that infants prefer to look at starkly-contrasting color patterns, and pictures of faces. So, we registered for the Wimmer-Ferguson Infant Stim Mobile. So far, BabyL loves laying in his crib and looking at it, giving me enough time to brush my teeth and use the bathroom. 

Seeing as we live in a relatively small two-bedroom apartment, I didn't think we needed the fanciest monitor on the market. I chose the Sony Babycall, a sound-only monitor, with one receiver (though it is available with two). I like that it has an out-of-range indicator, the receivers run on battery power or an AC adapter, and it has 27 channels, so there's less chance of accidentally listening in on someone else's baby. 

One last thing that was recommended to us is a Homedics SoundSpa Lullabye White Noise Machine. It has three sounds and three songs to choose from: heartbeat, rainforest, ocean, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Rock-a-bye Baby, and Brahm's Lullabye. It also has a projector and includes three disks of images that will project onto the wall. You can set the timer to shut the machine off in 15, 30, or 45 minutes. 

BabyL's Second Month

After BabyL turned four weeks, things did start to get better. He started to fall into a more predictable sleep/wake pattern. He started to notice what was going on around him. He started to make sounds other than crying. He even flipped himself from tummy to back — twice! — but that was probably by accident, haha.

Our dogs got more comfortable with the baby. White Dog stopped hiding under the bed every time the baby cried. I got more comfortable leaving the house with the baby on my own.

Nursing became second-nature. It became easier to get the baby latched on by myself (he stopped sticking his hands in front of his mouth while eating).

He started sleep longer — probably my favorite part. 

We were finally rewarded with a smile the day before he turned 8 weeks. We weren't really sure at the time, not knowing how to tell the difference between a "gas smile" and a true social smile. A "gas smile" is a reflex, and only the corners of their mouth move. Usually the mouth remains closed. A social smile is usually open-mouthed, and the baby's cheeks lift.

And I'll end the short second month recap with his 2-month well-baby checkup. He's up to 12 pounds, and measuring 23 ¼ inches long. He took his vaccines like a champ. He was extra sleepy that evening and part of the next day, but never got a fever, and was not extra fussy. 

BabyL's First Month - It Gets Better

Looking back, life with BabyL for the first month is a blur of nursing, napping, and changing diapers. My cousin came to visit the weekend after we came home, and said to me, "The first four weeks are HELL. You don't know what you're doing, you're sleep deprived . . . but it gets better." 

So, when BabyL would wake for the fourth time overnight to eat, I repeated to myself, "It gets better." 

I read a book on breastfeeding called "So That's What They're For" by Janet Tamaro. In it, she says that nobody ever told her that it's normal for breastfeeding to hurt in the beginning. She wonders if the breastfeeding activists believe that admitting breastfeeding can hurt would deter women who are on the fence about breastfeeding. One recurring theme of the book is, "It gets better." 

Even women who long for a child express being overwhelmed the first few weeks at home. Another cousin of mine, when her son was four weeks old, held him out to her own mother and said, "I don't want to do this anymore." 

Please take care of yourself. Don't feel guilty about handing the baby off with a sigh of relief to your partner as soon as he/she walks in the door from work. That doesn't make you a terrible mother. Don't feel guilty about breaking down in tears over something "little." Your hormones have been on the roller coaster ride of their lives, and haven't quite settled down yet. If you think you think you're having more than just "the baby blues," call your doctor. There is NOTHING WRONG with you. 

If you're inundated with requests to visit, and you simply don't feel up to it, say so. My parents insisted on bringing dinner to us on Thanksgiving (I just wanted to curl up in bed with a bowl of soup). My brother came over two days later, my cousin the day after that. D's mom and step-dad (who are a bit grating on the nerves on a GOOD day) came over the following weekend. By that time, I just broke down. I spent their whole visit in bed crying, and canceled D's sister's visit the next day (which turned out to be a blessing in disguise, but more on that another day). 

So, when it's 4:30 a.m., and you've just gotten back to sleep when your baby starts to stir and fuss and wants to eat again, and your partner is laying next to you, snoring away, oblivious to the fact that you're up for the fourth time that night, and you just want to lay your head in your hands and sob, remember, it gets better. 

Detailed Birth Story

On Sunday, November 20th, 2011, at around 9 p.m., I began to experience what felt like PMS cramps. Since it was still two weeks before my due date, I assumed they were Braxton Hicks contractions, but started timing them, just to experiment with the app I had downloaded to my smartphone. They were consistent in length, but sporatic in frequency. I called my OB’s office line anyway. I had been diagnosed with Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR - my baby was measuring much smaller than normal), and a biophysical profile the Friday before, my levels of amniotic fluid were on the lowest end of normal. They told me to drink some water, and pace for a little while, and that I did not need to come in until my contractions were 4 minutes apartment, 1 minute in length, and had been that way for an hour.

I drank a tall glass of water, and walked for about 30 minutes. After I went fourteen minutes without a contraction, I laid down to go to sleep.

About 30 minutes later, the contractions were back again, so I started timing again. This time, they were consistent in length AND in frequency: about 45 seconds long, two minutes apart. My Significant Other (hereafter called D.) urged me to call the doctors again. I felt silly, but I called again. The answering service answered, and remembered that I had called earlier. They told me they’d pass the new info along and a doctor may return my call in 30 minutes, but they were “busy.”

Thirty minutes passed with no return phone call and the contractions continued. It was beginning to be difficult to carry on a conversation during a contraction. D. made the “executive decision” to put the hospital bags in the car and head to the hospital.

It was about 11:30 at night, and our hospital was only 7 miles away, and yet, I don’t remember D ever driving so fast. We parked in the hospital’s garage. I told D. to leave all the bags in the car (I was convinced I wasn’t REALLY in labor, as it was still two weeks until my due date) and walked about 500 feet to the Emergency Room. The security guards at the door took one look at me and waved me through the metal detectors toward triage. I gave the nurse my information and she called for a wheelchair to take me up to the 7th floor, where the perinatal evaluation center was.

We got to the PEC, and had to sit in front of a window for several minutes while the intake nurse finished a (personal) telephone conversation. They took me to a bed, hooked me up to monitors and did an internal exam. I was 4 cm dilated. They told me the baby was on his way, and I was being admitted. They sent a phlebotomist to place an IV, and asked if I planned to get an epidural. I said yes. They told me the anesthesiologist was in a C-section, but was just about wrapping up.

We waited in the PEC what felt like FOREVER (D tells me we were there about an hour). D called both sets of parents. They finally sent a wheelchair to take me to my Labor and Delivery room. I remember being wheeled in and thinking “This is it. When we leave this room, we’ll have a baby.”


The room was gorgeous, with wood floors and paintings on the wall. And it was HUGE. They let me use the bathroom, then put me in the hospital gown. The doctor on rotation that night just happened to be my perinatologist! The resident doctor with him was the one who had performed a growth ultrasound on me three weeks earlier. The perinatologist joked with the nurses that I spent more time in the Maternal Fetal medicine office than he did.

D offered to go get the labor bag that was in the car, but the contractions were very strong and I didn’t want him to leave my side. Again, we waited. For what? The anesthesiologist, I guess. Nurses came in every once in a while to look at the monitors. I remember asking for water and they said I could have ice chips.

A little after 3 a.m., the anesthesiologist came in. She said she needed some bloodwork before she could place the epidural. I have a history of blood clots, and she needed to make sure my clotting factor wasn’t too high. However, the IV they had placed earlier had blown, so they couldn’t draw blood that way. My contractions were too close together to allow them to stick me to draw more, and they also couldn’t provide me with IV pain medication instead of the epidural.

The doctors, nurses and anesthesiologist were having a mini conference out in the hallway, when I felt intense pressure in my pelvis. It felt like the baby’s head was pressing to come out. I yelled that the baby was coming, somebody help me! D. ran to the door and yelled into the hallway for some help. A nurse came in, saying that it couldn’t be time to push yet, I still had hours to go. The doctor came in, did a quick exam and called to his nurses that the baby was coming NOW. I remember him saying to me that the baby was coming now, there wasn’t time for an epidural. I remember telling him I couldn’t do it.

In the blink of an eye, they had taken the lower half of the bed off and put me in a semi-reclining position. A nurse was at my left side. She told me her name but now I can’t remember it. She instructed D to hold my right leg, and that she would help me through it. As the next contraction came, she told me how to breathe through it. When the doctors were ready, she told me to push. I had forgotten everything from my childbirth class -- I didn’t know how to push! She told me to hold my breath and bear down. I closed my eyes and pushed while they counted to ten.

After three pushes, his head started to crown. They told me I could reach my hand down and feel his hair, but for some reason, I didn’t want to. I remember a nurse saying he had dark hair like his daddy. I also don’t remember feeling the “ring of fire” (the burning sensation when the baby’s head crowns). I remember the last push, with both the nurse and D cheering me on and telling me I could do it. I remember feeling his body slide out and the nurse telling me to open my eyes and look at my son. I remember he was purple, and still covered in vernix. I remember saying, “Oh my god.” I remember D turning away for a minute, and later he told me it was because he didn’t want the nurses to see him cry.

They placed him on a table to rub him down and wrap him up. I remember asking for him to be placed on my chest, but the residents were poking around “down there,” checking for tears. It hurt so badly. D heard the doctor telling the residents to give me a minute to rest. My hospital does not do routine episiotomies, and I got my with only superficial labial tearing, no stitches needed.

They gave him to me to hold, and all I could do was stare at him. His head didn’t “cone,” it was still perfectly round. He was 5 lbs 15.9 ounces and 19.25 inches long. I remember delivering the placenta and it felt larger than I thought it would be. I remember D taking my hand and telling me how amazing I was, and that after what I just went through, he couldn’t argue with me ever again (yeah, that didn’t last long, lol!).

The baby was so alert in the 30 or so minutes after birth. A nurse helped me latch him on for his first nursing session. It hurt, and I later found out he wasn’t latched correctly, but we fixed that before we left the hospital. I remember calling my parents, who had just arrived in the waiting room, that he was here. They were amazed; they had packed water bottles and food, prepared to wait all day. We waited another 30 or so minutes, bonding with our baby, before inviting them back to meet their first grandchild.