Easter 2014

Who else OD'd on candy this year? 

My teeth are still aching. Every year I try to give up all the sweets I constantly snack on for lent. So when Easter morning rolls around I am so ready to indulge in my sweet tooth. 

I filled Boden's Easter basket with tons of baby goodies...

It was SO adorable to watch Boden tear through his basket. His favorite present was his stuffed bunny. He tore it out of the basket and promptly smashed his face into it and chewed on the ears. He then had a death grip on it for the rest of the day...wherever he went Mr. Bunny went. :)

I now have to get back to stuffing my face with the rest of the Reese's eggs we have left...

Baby B's First Spring Day

FINALLY! We had some warmer weather last weekend! We were able to enjoy the semi warm weather outdoors and get some fresh air. Being cooped up indoors in the stale air was really getting to us. Boden has never really felt a warm breeze on his face before. He loved it!

This poor little guy lives in bibs. It's non stop drool central over here. We probably go through 5-8 bib a day just for catching all the drool. AND there still isn't any teeth in site! 

The pugs also enjoyed the warm weather! I love watching Boden squeal with laughter as he watches the pugs run around his play pen!

Baby's First Easter

I love Easter! All the pastel colors, warmer weather, fluffy bunnies, dyed Easter eggs,  and of course Easter baskets!! I can't wait to put together a basket for Boden's First Easter!

I want to keep his basket simple with small toys and gifts that are practical and useful. I want to keep Easter a day to celebrate with family and enjoy all the little things!

-Easter Basket-

I love white Easter baskets and filling them with all sorts of colorful goodies. I also order this lining to go on the inside and to personalize Boden's basket.

-Farm Plush Animals-

These little plush animals were too cute to pass up! How adorable are they! Little baby animals are perfect for Easter!

-Bunny-

This is the cutest plush bunny. And it's so soft! I can't wait to pack it into Boden's basket along with all the other goodies!

-Easter Weebles-

I always got little weebles in my Easter basket when I was a kid. They are so cute and I could always be found all day on Easter rocking these little guys on every counter and surface I could find!

-Plum Little Yums-

I can't wait to give these to Boden. He has been chowing down on every baby food we give him and I know his little teeth are about to poke through. These are the next step closer to giving him real food!

-Happy Easter, Little Critter-

We have been reading more and more recently to Boden. He usually gets a bath, bottle, book, then bed. This book was one of my favorites as a kid and I hope to start this as a tradition for Boden as he grows!

*hippity hoppity*

*Easter's on its way!*

Summer Gear for The Boy

This weather has me ready for spring & summer! It has gotten up to over 50 degrees a few times! The second it was above freezing temperatures, and acceptable to be outside with 15 layers of winter clothes, we took Boden out for a jog in the stroller. He loved it! The fresh air and little bumps in the road had him asleep in less then one block!

Not only do I love this warmer weather but spring clothes and summer bathing suites are everywhere! I couldn't help but snatch up a few summer essentials for my little man.

-Baseball T Rashguard-

-Orange Embroidered Tropical Swim Trunks-

-Colorblock Swim Trunks-

-Slip-on Sneakers-

It's time to start counting down the days until we are sippin drinks on the shores of Lake Michigan and roasting marshmallows around a beach camp fire!

St. Patty's Day Luck

We are hoping to run into lots of luck with St. Patrick's Day just around the corner! A large pot of gold would be nice!

But realistically I'll just hope for Boden's first tooth to make it's debut. It's so close..I can just barely see that little white bump poking through!

Until then..we celebrate with lots of green, gold and yummy food!

On the agenda:

-Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes-

These are SO amazing..I only allow myself to make them once a year for St. Patrick's Day. Otherwise I would be stuffing my face with them year round. (I'll post recipe later.)

-Rueben Sandwiches-

I know. Everybody always makes corned beaf and hash. I don't get it..I've never been a fan of that. So my tradition has been to slather my rueben sandwich in as much Thousand Island dressing as I possible can and pack it full of sauerkraut!

And of course an adorable green baby outfit! Boden looks so dashing in all that green!

If only Boden knew..it's not lucky him...it's lucky ME!  

Ferber Method for the Father

Well apparently babies aren't the only ones who need the Ferber Method.

Father's of your baby do too!!! 

I will just assume that we've all been there...

Baby is born, everyones happy, both parents are ecstatic for the arrival of their new bundle of joy, all sorts of family and friends come to visit, the baby is passed from loving hand to loving hand, annnnnd then every one goes home.

Suddenly there is this little tyke who screams for no reason, constantly eats, poops 5,000 times a day, and randomly sleeps. AND now there is only 2 people to deal with this life changer instead of the 15 relatives that were just over visiting. Mom has maternity leave and Dad is back to work... "See ya later honey, have a great day with the baby!"

Mom lovingly stares down at the baby and smiles..."have a great day at work babe! I'll have dinner ready when you get home!" (ha! yeah right!)

Dad comes home from work, wipes his brow, kicks his shoes off approximately 6 inches in from of the door way, and plops his butt down on the couch to relax for the evening.

Mom wants a break from her full time baby duty and Dad wants a break from his full time work day.

Well who's going to deal with the baby now!?

Ummm....both parents! But apparently dudes don't have that natural instinct to rock a crying baby, feed them a bottle, change their stinky diaper OR get up to every little peep they make at night. They have to be taught. Just like each baby has to be taught to self soothe, eat, crawl and explore the world!

And what do ya know...the Ferber Method isn't just for babies! Father's can learn from it too!

After I went back to the salon from my maternity leave I was surprisingly excited to get back to work. Although I am so glad I only started back part time because I missed my little man SO much for the 2 hours I was gone my first day. :)

Anyways, my husband had been so busy working during my maternity leave that he hadn't picked up on all the little details that Boden requires. Such as: how many ounces for his bottle, how ofter he eats, how much cereal, what kind of veggies he likes, and what each little cry means!!! Awww!!! What's a mom to do! And NO Mother/Wife wants to be that nagging gal to her man. SO...here comes the Ferber Method!!

One day I had to head to the salon, "here you go Daddy! He's all yours!" and I walked out the door! No instructions, no lists, no nothing!

I just about crapped my pants driving to work wondering what my husband was going to do.

I'm sure they both sat there and stared at each other for a good 15 minutes before moving on to some toy or bouncy chair. Needless to say, Boden and Erik survived! Ha! I win again! Erik did everything himself with NO problems. What great Daddy & Baby bonding time!

So for all you crazy Moms out there...toss that baby to the Daddy and head out for the day! Those boys will figure it out on their own! :)

Ferber Method Madness

Hush little Boden don't say a word,

Mama's going to buy you a mockingbird...

Annnnd some earmuffs for myself.

I did it. The Ferber Method. It was awful yet oh so glorious. I win!!

When we went in for Boden's 4 month check up and shots the doctor asked me how Boden was sleeping. What? Sleep? What does that mean? I have a baby that thinks a 30 minute nap is equivalent to a whole nights sleep.

He continues to ask if I put him to sleep wide awake or after he's dozed off a bit. 

I respond with "well I nurse him every night before bed and he falls asleep at the boob." What can I say..he's a boob man.

"Oh no no no you don't. Not any more! That little man needs to go to bed wide awake and self soothe!" replies my doctor. "Give it a few nights of self soothing and he will get the trick."

"Ok!" I respond...and happily skip out of the doctors office.

Well he never told me how they learn to self soothe. Waaaaaah. Waaaaaaahhh..

So we begin the Ferber Method.

Night One: 8pm: Bottle

8:30pm: Change into PJ's, rock in the glider and we sing Hush Little Baby.

8:40pm: In crib, flat on back, lower half swaddled, snuggles with security blankie, humidifier on, noise maker on, we leave the room.

10:30pm-12:35am: Wide awake, crying. Screaming because Mommy won't give in to his every wish. (Mommy joins in on the crying)

12:35am-2am: Sleeps peacefully.

2am-4:25am: Wide awake, crying. Screaming, again, because what the hell, Mommy still isn't running to my side. (Mommy, once again, joins the cry fest).

4:30am-6am: Rests his puffy little eyes and sleeps.

Night Two: 8pm: Bottle

8:30pm: Change into PJ's, rock in the glider and we sing Hush Little Baby.

8:40pm: In crib, flat on back, lower half swaddled, snuggles with security blankie, humidifier on, noise maker on, we leave the room.

12:30am-1:25am: Wide awake and having a cry/pity party in the crib.

1:30am-4am: Sound asleep.....ahhhhhh finally

4am-4:30am: "I'm awaaaaake Mommy! Waaaaaahhhhh!!!"

4:30am-7am: zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Night Three: 8pm: Bottle

8:30pm: Change into PJ's, rock in the glider and we sing Hush Little Baby.

8:40pm: In crib, flat on back, lower half swaddled, snuggles with security blankie, humidifier on, noise maker on, we leave the room.

2am-2:15am: Talks to himself in the crib and blows some bubbles to kill time.

2:15am-6:30am: Dreams peacefully...nighty night.

Night Four: 8pm: Bottle

8:30pm: Change into PJ's, rock in the glider and we sing Hush Little Baby.

8:40pm: In crib, flat on back, lower half swaddled, snuggles with security blankie, humidifier on, noise maker on, we leave the room.

8:40pm-6:30am: Sweet sweet sleep. For Mama and Baby.

I swear that first night was almost as difficult as labor. It was awful! Non-stop crying allllll night. But it was so worth it. Boden now sleeps through the night. He might get up once or twice to check out his feet, snuggle his blankie, or have a one way conversation with himself. But no crying. He can put himself back to sleep..no bottle, no rocking, no diaper change, no nothing! The difference it has made in my day is amaaazing. I'm no longer tired, my patience levels are normal once again, and I can hold a conversation past 6pm without falling asleep!

At first I thought the Ferber Method sounded cruel but after hearing from countless people that it worked I had to give it a try. It's so worth it and it was definitely worth one night of screaming for many many more nights of peaceful sleep!!!

The 4th Trimester

I totally get it now. The 4th trimester. Babies are SO helpless the first 3 months. It's almost like they wake up and realize everything that is going on around them at 4 months. 

Boden did nothing but sleep, eat, poop, cry, & repeat for months 1 through 3. Pretty much at exactly month 4 he opened his eyes and was ready to conquer the toy pen. He reaches for his favorite toy, Mr. Octopus, and grabs on to every bunch of hair he can manage to grasp his little hands on. I can't believe how entertaining a baby can be. 

He's even discovered his pudgy little feet! 

He gobbles up 2 whole bowls of cereal plus whatever new veggie we are trying that day...the kid can eat!

"more cereal please!" -Boden

He has play dates with his buddies...and attempts to yank their hair and hold their hand.

And lastly, he waits patiently at my salon for his Daddy to get a hair cut.

Post Partum Hair Loss

Ok. The streets of Chicago aren't the only thing that has piles on each side. My entire shower floor has mounds of hair piling everywhere! SO much hair loss! 

I definitely did not have the luscious locks and glowing skin that everybody talked about during pregnancy. My hair was brittle and breaking off from day one! I had my little pregnancy horns by my second trimester.

Since Boden turned exactly 4 months (to the day!) my hair has been falling out. I only shampoo my hair 2-3 times a week since it's so dry out. I definitely have changed my hair care routine and products to help with this hair loss.

-Tangle Teezer- 

I have used the Tangle Teezer for years but this brush REALLY helps get through tangles on wet and dry hair. It's especially awesome for me since I have super fine soft hair!

-Redken Anti Snap-

This stuff really works! I swear! I normally only used it for a week or two after getting my color done so I could rebuild the strength of my hair. But since my hair has been awful and falling out I have started using it regularly. I spray it on my damp hair once a week and it really seems to help with breakage.

-Redken Blonde Glam Shampoo/Conditioner-

I have been addicted to this shampoo and conditioner ever since I started coloring my hair. It leaves it SO soft and smells amazing!

-Scunci Hair Ties-

By far the best hair ties. They don't tear away at my fine hair and it seems like my hair is pulled back into a pony 90% of the day so Boden can't yank out what little hair I have left. :)

-Suave Apple Detangler-

As hilarious as it is to use a kids product..this stuff rules. I shower my freshly cleaned hair in this and then use the tangle teezer. And it doesn't hurt that my hair smells like freshly picked apples. I get SO many random compliments on my hair smelling good and I totally give credit to this apple detangler! 

B's First Cold

*sniffle*sniffle* 

It finally happened. His first cold. 

A few days ago I heard his first cough. I didn't think much of it..I figured it was one of many other irritants besides a cold. Dog fur, dust mites, cool winter air...but I had no idea it was the beginnings of his poor little cold.

It took approximately 3 days until I realized it was probably time to call the pediatrician. We took our little man in and they declared him sick! Our doctor is awesome. He saw us within 2 hours of us calling and he doesn't prescribe medication like it's going out of style. We hope to give Boden the least amount of medicine as possible. When we heard we should just ride out this cold because it was such a minor sickness, I was relieved he didn't get antibiotics. 

The doc told us to crank his humidifier and give Boden lot of love. Cuddle him, feed him, play with him and let this cold run it's course. 

Well it's now day 5 of this hellish cold and Boden hasn't stopped sniffling, blowing snot bubbles, and coughing like crazy. He can't eat his normal amount because he can't breathe out of his little snuffy nose! We've resorted to feeding him every 2 hours rather then every 4 and in smaller amounts. This way he keeps up his fluids. The poor guy sounds like Darth Vader wobbling around on the floor with all his toys.

-NoseFrida- I was SO disgusted at the thought of manually sucking boogers out of my sons nose..but this is awesome. Probably the best invention ever for babies with colds. It's amazing how much more snot comes out of their noses with this compared to those old school bulb suckers.

-Vicks Germ Free Humidifier- I did oodles and oodles of research about humidifiers, dehumidifiers, vaporizers and all sorts of air treatment for nurseries. This humidifier has a 2 gallon tank so we can have it running 24 hours without having to refill it. It's also warm mist so it's much better for the dry winter air we are having right now. We also have this Crane Drop Cool Mist Humidifier to keep next to his crib for times when that added heat isn't necessary. I plan on keeping the cool mist humidifier for when he's older and starts to poke around at objects..this way he can't be burned from the mist.

-Vicks Vapo Steam- I have been putting this in the Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier during his cold and it seems to really help with his cough and congestions. I know there are mixed reviews on using this for a baby but it seems to really be helping Boden..so it's a plus for me!

-Little Remedies Saline Drops- These are great! One little drop in each nostril and Boden doesn't seem to have as much chapped skin. He's been having a mixture of runny and stuffy nose so these drops are perfect. The combination of these drops with the Vapo Steam are great for night time!!

True Life: My Son Is Addicted To His Pacifier

Boden + pacifier = true love

I don't know how else to put it. He loves his binky. Binky all day. Binky all night.

I thought it was a life saver when we first brought Boden home from the hospital. He was either attached to my boob or sucking on his pacifier. He quickly became attached to his Avent Binky. And I couldn't help how adorable it was to watch him suck away and drift off into his afternoon nap. If only I knew what kind of addiction this would become!! Ugghhh!

When we finally transitioned Boden to his crib he took his addiction to a whole new level! He had to have to binky as soon as he hit the crib till morning had broke. Well guess what...babies don't keep their pacifiers in their mouths! 

Pacifier in, suck for 5 mins, spit out, cry hysterically, shove pacifier back in mouth, repeat.

This would go on every 30 minutes every night! So what do you do?? Exactly what you would do for any other addict! Go cold turkey!!!

After about a month of waking up every 30 minutes just to place the binky back in Boden's mouth I had enough! I tossed that binky in the back of his toy drawer and said "no more!"! 

One morning we took it away after he got up for he day and I didn't give it to him again. No binky for naps, no binky for soothing, no binky for night time. Binky be gone!!! And what do ya know, he slept that night! By no means was it easy. He still got up for his usual feeding between 12am-2am. But not having to get up every 30 minutes for a dumb pacifier was heaven.

RIP pacifiers...you will not be missed.

Baby B's First Meal

Boden is a professional bottle chugger. I just can't keep the kid full! He's up to eating 7-9oz every 2-3 hours. And he still is usually searching for more. 

I went out and bought some baby cereal/food to start experimenting. Everybody that I talked to started their little ones on baby cereal somewhere between 4-6 months. Well I didn't think Boden would make it to 4 months. He even surprised the doctor at his 2 month appointment when I told them how much he was eating. He definitely takes after my side of the family..the kid is a eater!

-Earth's Best Whole Grain Rice Cereal-

I decided to try this as his first rice cereal because of the wholesome qualities. The ingredient list is MUCH shorter then most baby cereals out there.

-Boon Feeding Spoon-

Only the cutest baby spoon ever. I plan on making Boden's baby food once I get the hang of things and this little spoon will allow easy passage from bowl to mouth! And I couldn't resist since I love all things Boon.

-Plum Organic Sweet Potato-

I stocked up on some Stage one organic baby foods and this was just one flavor. I plan on starting Boden with green vegetables first then working from there.

-Plum Dispensing Spoon-

I scooped up these when I was buying the Plum's baby food. These will be perfect to throw in my diaper bag with a bag of baby food for on the go!

-Beaba First Stage Spoon-

Couldn't resist these because of the cuteness! AND they are super soft silicone. This is what we tried first for Boden's rice cereal. All the other spoons out there are rock hard and I imagine those being too rough on his little gums. So this was a great purchase for first time feedings!

The Power Napper

So Boden is officially the king of power naps. The little man can squeeze a hour long nap into 20 minutes. Approximately 4 naps per day for 20 minutes a piece. That's it. That's all he needs.

Whoever said babies sleep all day apparently had the perfect child. A short conversation with my mom, and my husband's mom, confirmed my suspicions about Boden's ridiculous sleep patterns. Both my husband and myself were AWEFUL sleepers. Up all hours of the day and night.

In other news...Boden found his thumb! :)

Sleeping in the crib and SIDs

Last night Boden slept in his crib for the first time! 

I have been putting him down in his crib after his last evening nursing and he usually makes it somewhere between 2 mins and 45 mins before he looses his marbles. I mean, screams the most ear piercing cry. It's been so frustrating. So I scoop him up and whisk him away to his snuggly swing and he quickly drifts off into a milk filled dream. No biggie...except his swing is approximately 4.5 feet away from my pillow and I hear every little peep that comes my way. 

After researching 5,000 websites and reading articles about the 3 million ways to prevent SIDs I decided to throw the rule book out the window. Seriously...every place I look tells me exactly what not to do for a sleeping baby. Don't place them on their stomach, don't put any blankets near them, swaddle them, don't swaddle them, make sure the room temperature is 65-68 degrees, have a fan running, don't have the fan running and blowing on them directly. So I gave up and decided to actually ask fellow newborn baby mommies. I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't the only one to throw that rule book out! 

Boden's been obsessed with his aden + anais since day one. He loves to rub his hands over them and more annoyingly lay them over his face! When I heard that babies can't sleep with any blankets I knew there was no way he'd be going in his crib without a fight. So after much debate and countless hours of fighting the crib I swaddle his tummy and legs, placed him in his crib, and tossed his security blanket on top of him. What do ya know...not even 2 mins later he was sound asleep and stayed asleep for 4 hours! Those 4 hours were so precious despite my many checks on him to make sure he was still breathing under his little blankie. :)

Time Flies With A Little Babe

The holidays are over, decorations put away and I've gained back some of that baby weight! Yippie! Time to get back to that work out schedule!

Boden's almost 4 months old and I have no idea where the time has gone. I feel so weird saying I can't believe everybody was right...time really does fly when you have a baby!

It's amazing how many differences come week by week for a baby. I just love watching how he discovers new things and makes different expressions. But what I love most is the little baby coo's that he makes while staring at me. My heart just melts every time I hear my little babe giggle and blow spit bubbles at me. Too freakin cute to handle.

(Here Boden shows off his spit bubble expertise)

The holidays were a blast with Boden around. He even giggled and tore open his presents, with a little help from the pugs, on Christmas morning!

With the New Year already here I'm planning to start baby proofing the house in preparation of Boden crawling. He is so close to rolling over. I can't wait for that day and I also am dreading that day. Let the search for baby gate, outlet plugs, & cabinet locks begin! But for now.. Boden and I will enjoy a glass of wine!