So, obviously, at 5 months old, 6 months when Halloween rolls around, there is no point in taking Uriah trick or treating. However, both hubby and I want to dress him up and take him around to relative's houses. Just for funsies. Well, we were going to go with batman, but the onesie we had picked out sold out the day I went to buy it. So, then he wanted Captain America, but the outfit doesn't come with a shield, and well hubby said he's just not the Cap without a shield. So then we decided Loki, but there are no 18 month sized Loki costumes, just adult ones from what I can see, and I'm not making a full costume for a 6 month old from scratch. I don't care that much. Blarg, who knew finding a cute, 18 month costume for a little boy that's not too generic would be so difficult?! What are your little ones going to be for Halloween this year?
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Anyone else ever get that feeling? I discussed it with hubby the other day. How I wish he had a travelling job. Like, a salesman for a bow company or something that he would enjoy. But something where we could pack up in an RV and go from state to state, just having new experiences and seeing new things. And since I plan on homeschooling, it's not like Uriah even if he were 5 or something would miss schoolwork. It's a romantic idea that I'd like to do for a couple years at some point, and hubby said he'd be all for it, except for the job situation. He makes great money at the factory, and if he quit he might not get hired back on when we got out adventure done with. And if he did, he'd be at the bottom seniority wise. Then again, if he loved the travelling job and we loved going with him, maybe it could be a permanent thing! I don't know. Sometimes it would just be nice I think.
Anyone else a fan of archery? I have a PSE razorback but I hardly get to shoot. But last night while hubby was gone, he watched God's Not Dead and came home, hugged me, and said he should help me more around the house. I have no idea what was in the movie but next time he's a jerk I'm renting it! So this morning he was shooting his bow and I came outside with the baby and asked if I could shoot mine, and he said okay and watched Uriah while I shot to sight in my new sight, but it doesn't adjust enough for how I shoot unfortunately. I tilt my recurve when I aim, maybe it's because I'm left eye dominant so I shoot left handed when I'm right handed, I'm not sure. But I was shooting consistently 6 inches left. So now I have to aim 6 inches to the right of where I want to hit or get a new sight. I shot better before putting the sight on, but I want to be more consistent. Maybe I should try taking it back off, I'm not sure. It's annoying to aim 6 inches to the right every time. This is from when I first got my bow, a college graduation present from hubby. I would type more but I'm just way too tired. This was how our day went to day in a simple black and white form:
6:45am- wake and eat 6oz 8:30-9:15am nap 10am- 5oz 10:45am-11:15 Nap 12:45am- 6oz 2:15-2:30 Nap 3:45pm- eat 5oz 5:15-5:40 Nap 6:30pm- eat 5oz 7pm- bath 8:30pm-bedtime And this was on top of last night, the baby waking up crying at 3, and me only getting 30 minutes of sleep after that all morning. I didn't have much prior to that either. And hubby hasn't lifted a finger to help since that 3am waking when we started snapping at each other, then had a big fight this afternoon over him not listening to me, and him saying he won't help anymore because everything has to be done my way. And he deliberately didn't help and stayed out of the house all day because of it. And with LO teething, all those wake times in that schedule up there? All filled with crying, tears, etc. So, I can't wait to go to bed. Things will be better tomorrow right? Man I need to have some kid free fun. Just for a couple hours. And not with hubby. Just responsibility free fun. If anyone drives past this area call me! (Not really but really). Off to bed in an hour when I get done feeding LO his last bottle of the night so he doesn't eat again til 6-7am. If I don't pass out on this computer beforehand. Night! I'm convinced schedules are not made for high needs kiddos. Because when you start one, the little wheels in their minds being to turn and they just laugh at you and throw curve balls all day long to let you know how fruitless your organizational efforts are.
With my little one, I knew we couldn't start a schedule before a month old. I mean, he was just too little. Well, then at 5 weeks we had the horrible uti scare, where we went to the ER and they said nothing was wrong with him despite a high fever and blood in his diaper. And then we went to our ped. who admitted us immediately and they found he had gotten a kidney infection. And then he recovered thanks to antibiotics but during week 6 we had to go to St. Louis Children's and get a VCUG where they discovered he had kidney reflux (or VUR) grade 4 on the right and grade 2 on the left. So with all that mess scheduling was still out the window for my poor baby, especially when we were trying to find the right antibiotic since the sulfa first gave him severe diarrhea, and then made his stomach hurt so bad he would just cry and cry. But by 8 weeks, we were good and I noticed patterns with his habits of eating and sleeping. It was easy to get him on a 3 hour schedule that looked like so: 7am- wake for the day, eat 10am-eat 1pm-eat 4pm-eat 7pm-eat 10pm- dreamfeed 3am- eat His naps were never easy or very predictable simply because he's never been one to like napping. Even at 8 weeks he was only getting 15 hours of sleep on average (now it's 11.5 at 4-5 months). He is just very hyper for such a small thing. But we were doing good and I was happy. He even slept through the night without a feeding from 9.5 weeks to 11.5 weeks. It was lovely. Then came 12 weeks old. Sleep regression, teething, growth spurt mania. Everything went out the window. Some days he was hungry every 4 hours, some days every 2.5 hours. I had no idea. And he was up all night long. Some nights every 30 minutes, most nights every hour. That lasted for 5 weeks. Now, he'll be 5 months old in about 10 days and some of the madness induced at week 12 has gone away. Things still are unpredictable. Little thing is still growing like a weed so even keeping a feeding schedule is impossible. But there are a few good nights here or there. And a good night is when he goes without a feeding from 9pm to 4am (sleeps from 10-2) so I get 3.5 hours straight of sleep. At 2am he comes to bed with me to soothe him back to sleep. Then when he wakes at 4 to eat I feed him and wait until he's back asleep to put him in his crib, because if I go back to bed with him, he'll wake up crying at 6. Either way he starts to wake at 6 (just if he's in his crib it doesn't involve crying) and I'll take him back to bed with me, and then he wakes for the day at 8. So, I get about 7.5 hours of very interrupted sleep, but it's better than it was. Then you have nights like last night, where I had him asleep by 10 and went to bed at 10:30. But he was up at 1. Then wanted to eat at 3am. Then woke up 30 minutes after me laying him in his crib after that feeding. Then him kicking me awake at 5, and 6, and 7, until I give up and get up because he's hungry again by now. So now it's 8:20 in the morning. He ate at 7 and fell asleep at 8. I can't go back to sleep once it's daylight (my brain is stupid like that). So now I have no idea what feeding and napping will look like today. I do know my husband worked from 11pm-3am last night, but didn't slide into bed until 6am, and now he'll say he's too tired to help me when he could have been in bed before 5 easily. Is it just my husband that says he understands and feels bad for me that I never get sleep but then doesn't help at all? When I ask, he says I need to take the baby to his parents during the day and take a nap. Um, that's ok. I'll just wait it out until baby starts sleeping through the night I guess. And it can't come soon enough. Avent Natural Bottles Pros: Easy to clean, easy nipple sizing system (1-4, 1=slow, 4=fast), Easy for baby to hold, not many parts (cap, ring, nipple, bottle), reduced our LO's gas, Easy to read ounce numbers Cons: Made of plastic without BPA but chemicals just as concerning, plastic (holds germs easier than glass), expensive Similac Bottles Pros: Easy to find free (coupons from similac, free one from similac, free one from some baby care classes), easy to read ounce numbers, not too many parts, locking system to prevent leaks Cons: Caused excessive gas for our little one, cracked, plastic became damaged in bottle warmer, difficult to find, not cheap when you can't find them free Evenflo Glass Bottles Pros: Glass (less germs), easy nipples grades (slow, med., fast, xcut), few parts (nipple, cap, bottle, ring), cheap Cons: Harder to scoop in formula because of smaller neck opening, break easier than plastic, harder for baby to hold (heavier), hard to read ounce numbers on the side Infantino Twist and Fold Activity Gym, Vintage Boy Pros: Lots of colors, easy to store (just twist and fold!), easy to clean base (unhooks from bars), cute toys, comes with support pillow, soft, extra loops to hang more toys, inexpensive Cons: Not big enough for our long little one, slippery so harder for him to learn to crawl on it, mirror is like a fun house mirror (very cheap) Graco Little Lounger Rock N Play Pros: Sturdy (it's been used a lot!), vibration works well, folds up for easy storage/carrying, nice padding on the inside, convenient (we've used it everyday I think since little one was born!), great neutral colors, mesh walls to keep breathable Cons: Doesn't rock itself (like other rock n plays unfortunately), toy bar is boring, could be longer Comfort & Harmony Portable Swing Pros: Harness keeps baby safe inside (although I'm not using it in this picture... oops), comfy headrest that velcros on and off to clean easy, Cute toy bar, 45 minute setting, various speeds, portable, neutral colors, soft, two positions (laying back further or sitting up more), soothing melody with 2 volumes Cons: Does use batteries fast but not bad, toy bar just pops right off... baby grabbed a toy one day and threw his arm up and the whole bar came off, took me a while to figure it out (how to put it together right, how to switch positions, how to adjust straps, how baby was supposed to go in it right, etc.) Wubbanub (Monkey) Pros: Baby looooves it, easier to catch when baby drops or throws it than traditional pacis, stays in his mouth better than some traditional pacis because the animal can lay on his chest, and also easier for him to bring back to his mouth grabbing the monkey instead of a regular paci Cons: Only gets really clean if you wash it in the washing machine when it gets dirty which is hard to find time to do when he won't let it go, does not help keep paci from falling out at night, baby will yank its tail and pull it out of his mouth, hard to clean just the paci part without getting the monkey wet each time, gets dirty easy Joovy 360 Jogging Stroller Pros: Smooth ride, tires instead of plastic wheels, made of lightweight metals, sun roof to see baby, pouch on bar to hold 2 bottles and your wallet, keys, etc., Lots of pouches and pockets for toys and things, under carriage storage, brake, nice harness, easy to fold up Cons: Heavy, cannot do one handed, somewhat bulky, the pump that comes with it is crap Boppy Noggin Nest Pros: Inexpensive, does work to prevent/help flat spots even on the side of the head and not the back, easy to wash, very portable, comfy, gender neutral colors Cons: May not work for all flat spots of course, cannot use when you can't see baby like in his crib at night (suffocation risk) Infantino Union Ergonomic Carrier Pros: Easier and comfier than carrying around a car seat, doesn't take up cart space when shopping, keeps people from touching the baby's face, inexpensive, easy to figure out how to use, works on front or back (depending on weight), goes up to 40lbs Cons: Hot (I make my husband carry the baby in it because I'm too hot natured to use it in the summer), one person couldn't buckle this themselves without help AND get the baby in- you'll need someone to help you Lamaze Early Development Toy, Sir Prance a Lot - Baby loves to chew on the feet, but that's about it. Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes - Didn't interest him until 4.5 months but now it'll keep him calm while someone makes his bottle (life saver) Razababy Razberry Silicon Teether in light blue - Too big for his mouth, but he fusses when it falls out, so I'm not sure if he likes it or not, but either way he isn't adjusting to it well. Simply Right Premium Baby Wipes - LOVE, cheap, never have torn once, great for sensitive skin like Uriah's (latex free, fragrance free, hypoallergenic) Arm & Hammer Nursery Wipes - Easy to grab and use, safe for baby, work as far as I can tell Bumkins Flushable liners - much bigger than the Bummis (actually catch the poo!) Rockin' Green Classic Rock Cloth Diaper Detergent - So glad we bought this... little one has very sensitive skin and we have to use this detergent on all his things since even the free and clear detergents broke him out Baby's Only Organic Lactorelief Toddler Formula - Best formula I've found (doesn't produce hexane when creating DHA like other organic brands, and although it uses rice syrup there are no detectable levels of arsenic), does cause baby to have solid poops that are hard to get out, hard to mix (clumps easy), Easy to measure, Cheap compared to other brands (I can get 6 cans for $80 on Amazon), contains 80 calories a scoop versus regular baby formula which is 20, allowing baby to get the calories he needs per day without having a bottle every hour or starting solids too soon Precious Cargo Infant Bucket Cap - Actually fits his big head and has come in very handy! Nature's Baby Organics Silky Dusting Powder, Fragrance Free - Perfect for when baby was getting chaffed or a little red in the diaper area. Sprinkled some on and redness was gone soon after! RLR Laundry treatment - Works but delaminated several of my pocket diapers (Sunbaby's) Munchkin Powdered Formula Dispenser combo pack - Comes in very handy for transporting formula in the diaper bag, but doesn't like to seal well. It'll work better for snacks than formula. Babyganics Stain Remover - Love it! You can get a 3 pack for $15 on Amazon and it works just as good as Shout, but safe for cloth diapers Dream on Me 2 in 1 Full Size Crib and Changing Table Combo - Came with lots of scratches and a little sticky sap in corners. Took 2 people to put it together (we couldn't have done it individually). Changing table is great for storing things but was too short to use for changing by 3 - 4 months (little one is long though). It has a protector to prevent babies biting the top railing and has adjustable height settings for the mattress, and the cherry color is very pretty. Gripe Water - Gas drops work better even though I feel better about giving gripe water, this is a toss up for me really Johnson's Hand and Face Wipes - Way too much fragrance, baby hated them! I just use his diaper wipes now and no fuss Earth Mama Baby Bottom Balm Diaper Rash Cream - Love it! Strong smell but baby doesn't seem to mind, and is ok to use with cloth diapers Aquatopia Safety Bath Time Audible Thermometer - It will keep beeping about the temp being too low/high unless you shake every drop of water out of it, but it works and I am so glad I have it to make sure my baby's bath temp is right. It displays the temp and beeps if it's too cold or hot. It was only $8 too. Dream Baby Adjustable Car Sun Shade (2 pack) - Cheap and works great! Clings to windows or you can hook it on the top of the window, and press a button and they roll up. Organic Cotton SwaddleMe - We got the small and it got small very fast. But I don't see the point in getting a large anyway since when baby can roll over it's not safe to swaddle at least the arms anyway. I don't think we needed this item, but we did use it multiple times. Oh and the Velcro would wake him at night when we would have to undo it to change his diaper. First Years Microwave Sterilizer - Great for sterilizing and I use it as a place to dry the bottles after washing them since I only sterilized for first use and just every once in a while since. First Years Quick Serve Bottle Warmer - works even with wide bottles like the avent or similac, hard to see the measurements which don't make a lot of sense (put water up to the 9 for 8oz... why not make the line an 8?), gets dirty easy but not sure why, cannot be used with glass bottles American Red Cross by First Years Deluxe Healthcare and Grooming Kit - Nose bulb is useless, rattle is cute, brush is great, nail files, trimmer, and scissors come in handy, nice early toothbrush and toothbrush for when they actually have teeth, handy thermometer for when baby is sick, still haven't used medicine droppers though. Aveeno Baby Bathtime Solutions - I love Aveeno products. They smell good and baby has never had a reaction to any of them. DEX Womb Sounds Bear - Cute, worked for about a month and half, then baby didn't care about the white noise so I put it away. Fisher Price Precious Planet Whale of a Bath Tub - Kind of bulky... I keep it out of the way with a command hook super glued to the wall. Infant insert is easy to take out (which I had to before 3 months because baby kept kicking it and trying to fly backwards out of the tub). Hooks onto sink easy and easy to clean. Fisher Price Organizer Diaper Bag in Black/Burgundy - Lots of pockets, but doesn't work well for bulky cloth diapers. Nice changing pad. Wipe case is virtually useless as wipes dry out in it. Easy to use and carry. BreathableBaby Breathable Crib Liner - Very hard to get tight and right on out crib since one side is a changing table. Looks cute though and very glad to have mesh. Didn't take little one long before he scooted over to that corner looking for his paci in the night and I woke up to find his face against the bumper. "Let him scream, it's good for his lungs"
"If you keep him up all day, he'd sleep through the night" "He'd probably sleep better if you didn't put his paci back in at night" "You haven't fed him solids yet? Isn't he 4 months?" "What kind of TV shows does he like?" "How many naps a day does he take? 2 right?" "Make lots of noise when he's sleepy and he won't wake up because of noise" "He can't just be satisfied on formula" "We raised 5 kids, we know a little something" "You are getting him circumcised right?" "He does sleep in his crib right?" "Why don't you ask us for advice on things?" "I kept my daughter up all day and she slept through the night" "I kept my son up all day and he slept through the night" "My daughter was eating 8 jars of baby food a day at this age" "You're not getting gas out by rubbing his tummy, you're just tickling him" "Stop pinching that baby" "I passed by your house and heard the baby cry" "Is he sleeping through the night yet?" "Rice cereal would help him sleep through the night. Put some in his bottle." "Oh he's got a paci? Thought you weren't going to give him one?" "Nah you don't have to hold him on that rocking horse, he'll grip the mane" "Aw, I bet you could set him in front of the tv all day and he'd be great!" "Want me to take him? Oh, no? You want to keep him asleep? Ok..." "Wake up Uriah! Don't go to sleep!" "He looks just like his dad" "Oh those 18 month clothes aren't too big at all" "Why don't you take him on the lawn mower with you to mow the yard?" "He hasn't said mama or dada yet? Isn't he 4 months?" "I shaved my baby's head when the top hairs fell out. I didn't want him to look like a grandpa" "He's bald just like grandpa!" "You two go out, I ran a daycare, I can babysit your 2 week old while you go on a date" "How do you keep cloth diapers from smelling? I did cloth for my first babies and I would never do those again" "You don't bleach your cloth diapers? How are they clean?" "He's fussy... maybe he wants water." "The Bible says to circumcise you know." "He's crying? He's hungry" "I know they don't feed me either." "I think he wants some ice cream." "You aren't breastfeeding, why? You have big boobs." "You should breastfeed even if it's just a week." "Our daughter got all used things for her babies. And she was happy with it." "Cereal is nutritious" "My kids never cried at the same time." "You aren't going to give him tea when he's little? I gave my babies coffee." "He's teething cause he's chewing on everything." "The cat will suffocate him." "You keep the baby inside too much." "Well did you expect a baby to be easy?" "You can walk into our house without calling or texting first, why do we have to do that for you?" "Did he get a uti because he's not circumcised?" "He's too bow legged. You didn't ask the doctor about that?" "I gave my babies rice cereal in a bottle and they didn't choke." "Our parents used bumpers and we survived." "He's really pale." "Make him laugh." "Why is he crying?" "He can't see anything yet, too young." "See? He fell asleep with all this noise going on. Guess it doesn't have to be quiet, huh?" "He can start solids now you know." Have you heard any of these before? Any I didn't mention that you've heard? To pee vs Keep the baby in your arms asleep
Sleep train so the baby sleeps better in the crib vs Co-sleep and get sleep now Eat vs Do chores Sleep vs Take a few minutes of the day for yourself Visit friends and family vs Relax at home Set a schedule vs Not adding stress in case things don't follow a schedule Take a shower vs Laying on the couch for the 15 minutes your husband agreed to watch the baby Make dinner while the baby cries vs Eat trail mix with one hand and tell your husband to eat a tv dinner Do just about anything vs Wake up the baby This comes after a crazy growth spurt Uriah had where I would have ripped my hair out if I had any. I mean I think we were both just MISERABLE. He grew over 1lb & almost a half inch in less than a week. But he's still being so hard to get to sleep. He's only wanting to sleep in my arms, and sometimes only if I'm standing and sometimes only if I'm lying down. He refuses to sleep other places at all during the day, and at night he's fighting crib time though I'm trying to fight back. He thinks he can stay awake in 3 hour stretches but we both know he gets tired after 1 hour. I might lose my mind being a mommy. He's cute though so I guess it's worth it! Whew I feel like I've just been going going going this week! Lots of stuff happening and still feeling like nothing got done. Isn't that every SAHM's week? And yet every day almost, we go through the same things: Practice sitting up in the high chair and play with spoons (check to see if tongue thrust reflex is still in full force. It is!) Tummy time Jumperoo time Walker time - standing alone or pulling Uriah around because well, he can't push himself in it on this carpet. We have maybe 3 sq ft of flat floor in this trailer Story time (right now we're reading Prince of Egypt, one of my favorite movies!) Bath time with lotion and a new outfit after Play mat time Singing active songs on the couch (This little piggy, Patty Cake, Wheels on the Bus, etc) Practice standing, talking, and sitting with mommy Stroller ride outside (only on days under 80 degrees, which hasn't been for over a week or so now unfortunately) 'Tour of the house and pictures on the wall along with mommy singing 'Part of Your World' from Little Mermaid (the other day we actually watched the movie and when the song came on his head whipped around so fast to see that screen, haha) Not to mention washing bottles, working out, cooking, fixing the hubby's lunch, laundry (diapers especially), cleaning off all his toys (with all the cat hair floating around I have to do this daily), wash other dishes besides bottles, empty the dishwasher, and then whatever other chores I manage to fit in... like yesterday was cleaning the toilets and washing my wig. I also wanted to repaint my toenails but I just pulled out the color on them right now and touched up where they were chipping. Sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do! Yesterday was amazing, I have to brag. I tried to wear the baby out before every nap, and went down fairly easy for all of them! Not one red faced crying incident! Can't say the same for today considering he went poo and now that his poo is solid he cries sometimes when going, and his first nap I had him was a struggle (hubby was nice enough to let me sleep in a couple more hours!). But I will cherish yesterday! Our morning started off with a bang anyway when I asked hubby to take the baby at 7 because he was so squirmy, and then little one proceeded to vomit alllllll over hubby, the bed, everything! Both daddy and baby got baths. I'm not sure why it happened, but since it's only the second or third puking incident we've had since he was born, I'll chalk it up to just one of those things. He seems fine now anyway. We also had our 4 month appointment on the 22nd! Uriah looks great. No teeth yet. Off the charts for height but great weight. Ready for solids around 6 months. She did bring up that one side of his head was flatter. I mentioned I had a shaping pillow and she said to use it often since he still has his soft spots. Thing is, we bed shared for most of the 3rd month because he was so hard to get to sleep, and I made sure he was on the side that wasn't flat to even it out. If it's not evened out now, I'm afraid it probably won't be. It doesn't seem bad though so I'm not too worried. She also asked if we were still delaying shots. I said yeah at least until he's off antibiotics. She thought that was fine and said she'd see me again in a few months! I figure if everything seems fine I'll wait until 7 months or so to see her again. I'm just glad Uriah is doing so well What is your SAHM hobby? I know I've tried several to keep me busy. Not that I don't have all my time full really anyway because there is always a chore that could be done, or an errand to be ran. But sometimes you need something for yourself. Sometimes it makes money like a craft you sell and sometimes it's utterly pointless besides making you happy. I've tried perfume making and selling. No one was interested. Name plaques which were very cute I might add. Still no one interested. I've also tried just selling things around the house we don't use, but haven't sold very much. I could bake but it seems like the baking/cake decorating area is saturated right now, along with photography. Plus I think I could pass in those things, but not be the best or really make any money doing it. And some things you have to make money at for them to be worth the effort or fun. My hobby I always go back to because it's free and fun is post by post roleplaying. Most people think RPGs they think video games, but I'm talking writing out posts for threads and creating your own game with all these other people over the internet. Hubby thinks it's a giant waste of time. Maybe it is. Sometimes I also realize it's an escape mechanism. When life gets too stressful I fall back into it because it's like a fantasy world where I can live through someone else I create. Not to mention I've wanted to be an author for the longest time but have been rejected so many times (I know I know, that's every author's story). But I've even been told my writing is just plain bad. Here is what I HAVE managed to get published:
http://fiftywordstories.com/2012/07/10/alyssa-galloway-the-best-friend/ And a short story on Laptoplitmag.com, but the website shut down. Here is that story: |