The Dreaded Pump & A Not So Sleepy Baby

Uggghhhh...

Who else absolutely hates the dreaded breast pump??

I mean come onnnn. Who actually looks forward to a plastic cone obnoxiously latching on to their nipple and loudly sucking the life out of your boob?...not this girl!

HOWEVER,  Boden has decided to have these awesome growth spurts and doesn't like to sleep at night. He definitely was not one of those babies that came home from the hospital and slept through the night. I'd like to slap those Momma's out there, out of pure jealously, for having those babies! So I've developed this new routine that has helped ensure a few extra hours minutes of sleep.

I first started with pumping more frequently to start stock piling those milk bags in the freezer. I have been giving Boden a 4-6oz bottle of that pumped milk liquid gold before bed. That way I can actual see how much he's eating and force him to finish the majority of the milk. 

THEN, I have been giving him formula during the night time feedings. I KNOW! I felt awful at first for giving him the fake stuff. But let me tell you...it's freaking awesome! When he chugs that 4-6oz bottle of deliciousness and promptly dozes off into a 4 HOUR slumber I can't help but jump for joy! 

chug chug chug Boden!

So since I'm in this for the long haul I figured I might as well invest in every booby pump accessory & adorable bottle out there to make those pumping (and late night feeding!) sessions a little more exciting.

Ameda Purely Yours Double Electric Breast Pump

I was able to get this pump for free through my insurance so I didn't have to choose which pump to get. I'd give this pump a 5 out of 10. Within the first couple pump sessions one of the pumps stopped working. So my pump is now a single electric pump and no longer double. So this pump deserves two thumbs waaaaay down. However, it works and was free. Until it konks and dies I plan on using this one. When it does finally go to the breast pump graves..I plan on investing in the Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breast Pump. I have heard awesome reviews and doesn't seem to have any of the issues that I've run in to!

Boob Ease

This cream is the bomb. It's not too oily/slimy/sticky like a few of the other creams I've tried. Honestly I haven't had to use much of any nipple cream at all. Boden was a expert boob latcher from the second he came into this world!

Medela Pump & Save

These are the best breastmilk storage bags! They came with a adapter for my pump. So I can attach the bag right to my pump and not have to transfer (and spill!) from bottle to bag. AND these bags can go right to the freezer for easy storage!

Lansinoh Nursing Pads

Every mom needs these babies. I swear I leaked a gallon of milk a day for the first few weeks. Thank god they've eased up a bit and I'm not changing these pads every other hour. I love these pads because they are pretty minimal in your bra and don't leave those super awesome seams across your boob that you've seen with most other pads!

Tommee Tippie Bottles

I LOVE these bottles! They are the cutest little bottles ever! Straight away I bought the 9oz bottles. Mainly because that's what everybody recommended. And I'm so glad I did. They are so much easier to pour expressed milk in from the bag or to mix the formula. Those little 4oz bottles were too small within 2 weeks of Boden being born!

Bottle Brush

After boiling all the bottles and nipples you suddenly become a OCD freak about germs and cleanliness. So when it comes time to scrub every nook and cranny of each bottle you definitely want a sturdy brush. This brush has been great and I would highly recommend it. However, I would purchase a few. After one month of use it is ready for the trash. Seeing little worn out bristles or just knowing it's been sitting on the counter soaking up all the other kitchen germs floating in the air for the past month is just nasty. I plan on tossing this brush out monthly and grabbing a new one to keep Boden's bottles extra sparkly clean!

Boon Lawn Drying Rack

Ok. This is by far the cutest drying rack ever. I became obsessed with Boon products as soon as I found this. It's the perfect size for all the breast pump parts, bottles, nipples, and pacifiers! I plan on getting the boon twig grass and boon stem grass just to add to my collection!

Similac Organic Formula

I had so many recommendations to use this formula. There isn't any GMO and the ingredients seemed to be very minimal. The price was pretty average compared to other companies and I could find it in most stores. I decided on the powder version rather then the already prepared because I want to have a longer shelf life and it could be stored right in the nursery. And the biggest reason I'm a huge fan of this formula is because the first time Boden tried this he sucked a 6oz bottle down so fast AND didn't spit up anything. 

Just look at that cutie pie!! Most adorable little guy ever!! :)

Tis the Season for Momma and Baby Boy

Tis the Season!!!

We are loving all the holiday spirit in the midwest. There is something about cooler weather that makes the holiday season! Being in 80 degree heat just doesn't scream Christmas!! When people start pulling out their Santa decorations of him skiing and sitting on the beach I knew we weren't meant for Florida Christmas's. After a few holidays of that heat we were ready to get back to our traditional snowy Christmas!

All of the holiday stuff in stores has us so excited to celebrate Boden's first Christmas!

-one- Santa's Lip Scrub! This stuff is awesome! Especially with all this dry weather when your lips are peeling and cracked!

-two- This red and white striped scarf is perfect for the holidays! I practically live in this scarf.

-three- Lush products have been my go to products for a few years now. This adorable holiday bath bomb gift set is perfect! It's such a treat to soak in a hot bath..especially with this freezing weather and since I've been breastfeeding! Pass that baby to the hubby and enjoy some Momma time!

-four- This snowman bath bomb is by far my favorite! I had to put it on this list because I can't stock up enough of these little guys!

-five- Probably the CUTEST baby outfit I've ever seen. I can't stop kissing Boden's little chubby cheeks as it is..and this outfit will keep those kisses coming! 

-six- The baby lips line from Maybelline has been my go to chapstick since it came out a few years ago. This peppermint flavor rocks! And it's perfect for Christmas!! 

-seven- I can not wait to get The Elf on the Shelf tradition started with Boden!! I can't wait till he's old enough to run around searching for the little elf in his holiday attire!

-eight- I've raved about these Freshly Picked Moccasins before. This copper color is too perfect for the winter and holiday season! 

-nine- Absolutely obsessed with this garland! So festive and perfect for the mantle above the fire place!

One Month Baby Favs!

I can't believe Boden is one month! This is been the most hectic, emotional, happy, crazy, exciting month of my life! I thought I was ready for a baby but nothing could of possible prepared me for being a first time mom. Although I definitely have a few favorites that helped me through this past month.

Aden and Anais Swaddle Blankets

LOVE these swaddle blankets. Perfect for throwing over the stroller to block out nosey people, keeping the baby nice and warm on these cool fall nights, and for swaddling of course! These blankets also rock because they have adorable patterns!

Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Oil

I used Mustela Stretch Mark Lotion throughout my pregnancy but I was SO over that cream by the time Boden was born. This stretch mark oil has been awesome and doesn't smell super funky. It doesn't leave a slimy oily feeling once I apply it either. Applied twice daily so we'll see how well all those stretch marks fade from my legs!

Summer Infant Swaddleme

These babies rock my world. When it's 2am and your little guy has busted out of his normal swaddle wrap it's time to grab these swaddle blankets. No matter how tight you wrap your babe they seem to wiggle their way free somehow! The Swaddleme has super strong velcro to keep their arms and in mummy position and feeling nice and snug! And when they can't squirm around and flap their arms then you might actually get a few extra minutes of sleep!

Mason Jar Tumbler

I only put this on here because if I didn't have this adorable tumbler then I would of crashed from sleep deprivation. I wouldn't go anywhere without this jar full of iced coffee to keep my energy up. I also kept a second jar full of water. I swear that chugging water after birth is the reason I lost all but 3 lbs of my baby weight within 3 weeks!

Boppy Nursing Pillow

This pillow is a back saver. Who knew holding a tiny 7 lb. baby for hours on end could cause such a sore back. I luged this pillow everywhere with me and use it at least 8 hrs of the day.

Snugapuppy Swing

This is by far THE BEST thing to have for a infant. Boden practically lives in this swing. He would not go into his bassinet for more then 2 minutes without having a breakdown. So in the swing he went! We even went out after our 2nd day at home and bought another swing. One in our bedroom and one in the family room. We love that it has built in lullabies and toys that circle around Boden's head to distract him for hours!

Halloween

We go all out for Halloween around here. Our neighborhood consists of houses with large yards and ridiculously long steep drive ways. So we have to really amp up our decorations to get the kids to walk up the drive way. It also helps that we always hand out king size candy bars. The news has spread over the years of our extra large candy bars and more and more kids have trick or treated at our house!

Of course it was pouring non stop all day so trick or treaters were at a minimum this year. But nothing could stop us from celebrating this spooky holiday!

Boden's first Halloween consisted of him wearing his Boo outfit and 10 naps throughout the day.

He's definitely the cutest ghost I've ever seen!

Our weekend ended with a trip to the city for some Wormhole Coffee and to indulge in their Peanut Butter Koopa Troopa. Probably the most amazing peanut butter mousse latte I have ever tasted..yum!!

Boden was such a champ riding in the car and being carted around the city!

Happy November! It's finally socially acceptable to blast Christmas music around the clock!!

4 Weeks Old, Baby Blues, and Pumping

My little baby boy is 4 weeks old!! It feels like yesterday when I found out we were having a boy..

And now I get to wake up every hour to this precious face!!

It doesn't matter if you sleep 12 hours a day before your little one arrives... nothing can prepare you for the extreme sleep deprivation you go through. And to add to the raging hormones, or lack thereof, baby blues!

Around day 6 I developed some serious baby blues. Crying from 6pm, straight through the night, to 6am. This occurred daily. Erik thought I'd gone bonkers. How is it possible to be so excited and thrilled to finally have your baby here and hysterically cry nonstop!? 

My day usually went something like this:

5am: wake up, wipe away remaining tears and grab crying baby

5:15am-6am: feed baby

6am: change baby & chug extra large cup of coffee..wish it was spiked with rum

6:15am: shower 

6:30am-7:15am: feed baby

7:15am: change baby then rock/hold baby

7:30am-2pm: REPEAT feed baby, change baby, hold crying baby, baby naps for 30 mins

2pm: chug second extra large cup of coffee and day dream of sleep

2:15pm-6pm: REPEAT feed baby, change baby, hold crying baby, baby naps for 30 mins

6pm: bam. the tears start flowing.

6:15pm: have a discouraging conversation with Erik about non stop blubbering and fail to explain my lack of reason for crying

6:45pm: back to baby feedings, changing, holding & rocking

7:30pm: eye lids refuse to stay open and it's time to head to bed

8:00pm: in bed and it feels SO good

8:05pm: Boden is WIDE AWAKE and ready to party.

8:15pm-5am: Boden is reverse cycling and thinks I should too.

REPEAT.

I arrived at my 2 week appointment 2 weeks ago with dark circles under my eyes, no make-up, wearing my pajamas, a sleeping baby and a attitude to match. My doctor quickly instructed me that exclusively breast feeding wasn't probably mine or my babies thing. Time to break out the pump and hand the 2am feeding responsibility off to someone else. 

So the second I got home I opened my breast pump, boiled the parts and started pumping. Instant hatred. Who wants to sit with a plastic cone sucking milk out of your boob after you just had to sit and feed the baby! Ugh!

Needless to say, I pumped enough for that night. My husband stayed with Boden ALL night downstairs and fed him at all the feedings. I slept for 10 hours that night! And with that no more tears were shed. I've been pumping and sharing the night time feedings for about 2 weeks now and I have enjoyed motherhood more and more each day!

October Love

Why October is the best month...

\\ Cooler weather. Thank god that sticky, slimy, frizzy haired, sweaty, humid weather has passed! \\

\\ Holiday season has officially begun! Hell yes I am playing Christmas music in between watching Halloween, Beetlejuice, and Hocus Focus on rerun. \\

\\ LEAVES are changing and crunching under my feet! \\

\\ Soup season. It officially begins in October. Potato soup, broccoli soup, chicken noodle soup, chili, split pea soup, french onion soup, curry lentil soup....all on repeat. \\

\\ Walking Dead season premiere. Time to get my zombie fix. \\

\\ Pumpkins. Decorating the house, making pumpkin soup, making glass pumpkins, and occasionally rolled into the street by the neighborhood adolescents and run down with their car... \\

\\ And the best reason October is the best month...my husbands AND Boden's birthday!! \\

Breastfeeding...

Aaahhhh..breastfeeding. How breastfeeding can be the most amazing experience AND a lovely annoyance is still a clue to me. Sure everybody told me I was going to be a on call milk maid but no one warned me of all the little details that came along with it!!

Rock hard lumpy boobs...check.
Boobs converted to a slow leak faucet...check.
Nipples becoming extra sensitive to cold/hot/wind/touch/sight...check.
Approximately 2.5 mins for bathroom use without freaking out if the dogs have decided to make the baby their own personal lollipop...check.
Never sleeping longer then a 45 min time frame...check.
Being limited to wearing shirts that allow easy boob access (no cute Fall sweaters for me!)...check.
Cold Hot Luke warm showers to avoid nipple chaffing...check.
NO lotion/perfume/body spray/anything on upper half of body...check.
Sweat profusely due to raging hormones at night..check.
Being excited for the weekend because it's socially acceptable to lay in your yoga pants and do absolutely nothing all day...check.

Happy Breastfeeding!!