Baby Talk

Since the birth of our son Michael I have probably slept more now (throughout the day) than when I was in high school on summer vacation... :P Sleep when baby sleeps they say. Yes, this is all fine and dandy until there are piles of laundry that have not been attended to, whether they need to be washed or put away.... Or just general cleaning and straightening up. This small house is going to drive me bonkers for the next year, I'm sure of it.

We finally have everything I wanted to get for the baby. And with my bargain seeking self, all of the items (Swing, bouncer, pack n play, large wooden bead maze, playmat and jumperoo) put together were under $150, thank you yardsale website! There is still one thing we need to get.... A crib. We decided on one months ago but have chosen to wait until he outgrows the bassinet to get it (space restrictions being the key culprit in this decision).

Okay, since his birth he has gone through a large amount of diapers.... I could actually go through the app on my phone (what to expect baby tracker) and count them all up by the days, but it has been anywhere between 6-12 diapers a day. Luckily a number of co-workers, friends and family pitched in and bought us quite a few things of diapers and wipes! We did find out that his little bum does NOT like huggies wipes! Nor do I for that matter. They were very rough and tended to "fall apart" while lightly wiping. Pampers sensitive wipes have been the best. Pampers diapers have also been my favorite. We have used luvs, huggies, parents choice, and pampers. With my first son luvs was the best choice, and might be once baby Michael is mobile. For now I choose pampers. In doing so I went and registered on their website and automatically received a $1 off coupon which is nice to use at the commissary because it brings it down to $8-$9 a bag. Plus they send you coupons and free samples! :) I'm all about free stuff, especially for baby. What else is great is that you can use the codes on the inside of the bags and receive points through their Pampers gift to grow rewards. After X amount of points you can trade them in for goodies. Another great site I registered at is Strongmoms.com, they too send you goodies, free samples and coupons. Most of their items are Similac based items. Which is nice because that is what we use to supplement during travels and some middle of the night feedings after I have already pumped. They send you lots of goodies and of course coupons! Other items I use are Lansinoh's gel pads, breast pump, breast milk storage bags and their storage bottles. I bought the nipple cream thinking I would need to use it because my nipples were pretty sore, but after using the gel pads I found no use for the cream and returned it (unopened/unused of course). The double affinity breast pump is a God send!!! Match that up with the hands free breast pump bra and you're set. (I happen to be typing this, with two hands, as I pump milk to store away.) Multi-tasking at it's finest. :)) And will come in handy if I go back to work too! In with the shipment of the hands free bra there were several advertisements for items for moms-to-be and breastfeeding moms. One that caught my eye is an at home milk screening test. It says that it is for moms that want to "enjoy the occasional or celebratory drink." By putting your milk on the test strip it reads if there is any alcohol present. WOW! Milkscreen.com. I have been craving me some wine...... Sigh.... No major celebrations coming up until 4th of July (My favorite holiday), by then I'll have enough saved up to enjoy some drinks and just pump and dump that evening/morning. I have about 20 bags of 5-6oz frozen breast milk saved up so far and currently have 30 more to fill. Trying to save up as many as possible in case I do go back to work at the end of next month.... Still a revolving conversation in my head because I'm unsure on what I want to do.
I went to my work 3 times this past week with the baby.... I miss it but at the same time I know I'll miss more with the baby and our oldest. I keep going over the budget. Sometimes hoping something there will show that I HAVE to go back to work... But all the work I did with the budget, bills and building a decent amount in savings before he was born has made that as an excuse that cannot be used.... I know it is my own unsupported fear in not having employment but it is a fear that (to me) is difficult to get over.

Other great sites to use are TheBump.com and WhatToExpect.com. Both of which I have been registered at for years and have great information, blogs and question and answer sessions that are great for mommy's and mommy-to-be. I'm finally able to start back up on light workouts. Sparkpeople.com is a site I've used for a little over a year and it is great! I use it via my comp and my phone with their apps. Meal tracking, workout tracking, healthy meals, workout programs for me to follow and groups that go hand-in-hand with my interests and life that I can seek motivation from and give motivation to others. Blogs to read on food, struggles, being a mommy and fitting in workouts, etc. This helps me keep me accountable to get back down to pre-baby bump weight. 10lbs to go!!! (And then toning it up). I will do this! :))