Summertime Girls

School is over for the semester and my summer has officially started. I always look forward to the summer, not to sit around and do nothing, far from it! Summer is when I get the chance to do all the things I wanted to do during the school year but didn't have the free time. I have several big plans for this summer. The biggest and least likely to happen is to get the house put together and better organized. I am hoping by tackling each room individually through out the next three months I will be able to accomplish this lofty goal. I call it lofty because I have had two days already to start this scheme and so far Amelia has not cooperated. She still wants to be held all the time, but she does take short naps. I've been able to pick up hear and there and to wash laundry. I am still optimistic that I will be able to get the house as clean as I want and to finally add those little touches to make it feel more like home. After all, we've only lived here three years now...

Today, also marks the first day of the great cloth diapering adventure. When Amelia was born she was too tiny for her cloth diapers and we have been traveling so much this last month I just wasn't sure when we would see a washing machine again. Despite all this we are still venturing to use our cloth diapers. The biggest reason being the cost. We spent over $40 this last month on disposables. We are fortunate that the landlady pays the water bill in our current renting situation so the added water cost doesn't hit our budget, but I have a feeling if it did it would be minimal compared to $40. So, Today we are officially setting out on this adventure.  I will keep you updated about how we do.   

Mad About Mia 4/11

I have to do a mobile picture update today because I apparently didn't use my actual camera at all last week.

Back to the Grind

This weekend was the last of my maternity leave. We didn't end up doing much of anything but that's what made it perfect. We spent Saturday afternoon cuddled up napping together as a family. Mia turned six weeks old today. She is constantly growing and changing before our eyes. It's so funny to me when we go out and strangers say,"she's so tiny/small/new!" I can't help but think, "what are you talking about? She's huge!" This is of course because I held her when she wasn't even 6 lbs and I have known her more than just six weeks. It just amazes me how she changes on a daily basis. Yesterday, she cooed. Today, she full out smiled at us. I can't wait to find out what tomorrow will bring!

Where's the party at???

 

Several people have asked me lately if Mia is a good baby. I haven't really been sure how to answer this. What is a good baby? I assume they are asking if she keeps us up all night and if she is fussy all the time. For the most part the answer is no. She sleeps pretty well from midnight until 5am. That is mostly our fault because we have not set her on much of a routine. I am planning on working on that but I am still trying to figure out what a realistic routine will include.  She hasn't been much of a fussy baby really until this past week. For the most part she has only cried if she needed something which has been mostly 3 things: food, diaper change, or to sit up and see everything. When she is not eating or sleeping she is a very curious baby and as her eye sight has developed she wants to spend more time sitting up.  

Although this week she has been fussy and crying for what appears to be no reason but I have a theory on this. These episodes of crankiness are always ended when she eventually cries herself to sleep. My theory is that my baby girl is so social she fights sleep. It's like she thinks she is going to miss something. As if we are going to have a party once she shuts her little eyes. Hence the title of this entry. She is partly right about this. If we could get her to sleep continuously through the night in her crib we probably would have a party.  :)

 

Steppin' Out Saturday

 

We had a busy weekend. Saturday Mia and I went to lunch with my friend Rachel. We explored down town Bryan, Texas and ate at Papa Perez. It was nice to get out of the house and do something. After lunch we had a mini photo shoot before Daddy came home.  Rachel is a talented photographer so I am excited to get the photos back. Sunday Mia went to her first wedding! Adri and Jeff have been our friends for many years and it was great to be there for their big day. The wedding was just as sweet and quirky as they are and so much fun! We took a picture at their "photo booth" and I think it is my favorite family picture so far. 

Mad About Mia (Monday) 4/4

Adventures in Breastfeeding

We have been breastfeeding for the last 4 weeks quite successfully. I read a lot before Mia was born to prepare myself. As I have said before I'm really committed to breastfeeding, I even watched videos on YouTube such as this one.

I also read the book The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by the La Lache League. Overall the book was very helpful and informative. If you are not planning an all natural, at home birth you will probably want to skip the section on birthing. It really demonized hospitals and traditional medicine which I found offensive since that was the route I had chosen. Other than that I found the book worth the money as far as being informative and giving a realistic view of what to expect while nursing. The book is available on Amazon but I bought mine from Wal-Mart and had it shipped free "site to store."

Mia has been an excellent nurser. From the first she understood what to do. Since she was so small we did have a hard time with latching thanks to my big boobs and her tiny mouth. We just had to find a holding technique that worked for us (the football) until she grew.

I have had a hard time the last two weeks keeping up with her nursing. She has grown a lot already and I am sure she is just getting ready to grow more. To be honest it has been really hard on my boobs. They have become incredibly sore. I find that hot showers help a lot but also there are gel nursing pads you can buy and refrigerate that also provide amazing relief.

I have tried both the Medela Tender Care Hydrogel Pads and the Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads. The Lansinohs are more expensive but worth the price to me. The packaging says they are reusable from up to 72 hrs but that I believe is if you wear them like a normal nursing pad. I used a pair for a full week because I would only wear them until my body heat warmed them, about 5 minutes at a time. This made the price tag a little more reasonable. Both retail for about $10 but with the Medela version you get 2 pairs instead of only one.