Coralie - 15 months old

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Now that Cora is over a year old I probably won't be near as consistent with doing updates but so much has changed since her 13 month update that I couldn't not do one this month! Our little girl is growing up so fast!

Weight/Height - At her 15 month well visit she came in at 23 pounds and 5 ounces (78th percentile). This is about the weight she was at her last well visit but the doctor said she wasn't worried since Cora is walking now and is much more active. She's 30 1/2 inches tall (49th %) and her head circumference is 47 cm (84th %).

Unhappy at the doctors office

Health - We have all been sick off and on since the very end of December. It's getting really old! This is by far the most sick she has been ever. It started with a runny nose that I'm pretty sure was allergies but then turned into a full blown cold. I called the doctor right around new years to check dosage on over the counter meds (since you can't really do much for a cold since it's a virus) and were doing all the natural remedies I know, but I'm now thinking we should have just taken her in and tried a round of antibiotics. She was doing so well for about half a week where the nose wasn't running anymore, no more goopy icky eyes and I would go an entire day or so without hearing her cough but after cutting a couple of teeth flaring up the runny nose again she's also got a nasty cough. So... after seeing the Pediatrician turns out that yes she's got the cough and runny nose but she also has an ear infection. So sure enough she's on antibiotics now and I'm really remembering how much I hate antibiotics.

Nicknames - "Pumpkin", "Cor-Cor", "Cora Bear", "Cora Bora", "Cora-lizzy" short for Cora Elizabeth.

While we were both sick.

Teething - Just the other day she started cutting teeth again! (I would just like to interject that she seriously did not appreciate me just sticking my finger into her mouth as she sleeps to confirm the tooth count). 3 teeth on top (front two and the one to the immediate left of her front tooth) and the 4 front bottom teeth.

Clothing - She's wearing 18 month clothes. I think there may be a few 12 months that haven't gotten pulled out of the rotation yet, but they're big 12 month clothes if so! She also has a few 24 month onsies and such in her clothing rotation. My baby is growing up too fast!!

Diapers - We bumped her up to size 4 disposable diapers, I don't know why I put that off so long, they fit her much better! We also learned that she can't wear the cheapie diapers from our local grocery store, she broke out in an epically bad rash (while being sick too, poor baby) that lasted more than 2 weeks. We just got it cleared up! I'm really missing cloth diapers and plan to start using them again asap! We're fighting diaper rash almost constantly in some degree or another, this is something we never had a problem with in cloth diapers and I'm sure it has something to do with the materials/chemicals associated with disposable diapers.

Christmas goodies - headphones, dolly & socks!

Eating - Nursing - She mostly just nurses in the morning now. She will ask to nurse during the day, but that's usually because she can't find where she's put down her sippy cup (or I may have stuck it in the refrigerator and she's thirsty), so I usually offer something else before nursing her. When she's sick or teething I try to be more patient with frequent nursing during the day, but even that hasn't been too frequent of late (thank goodness!!). I'm super ready to wean! We've gotten her to where she doesn't (usually) need to nurse to go to sleep, I'll offer nursing if she asks, which she doesn't always, then John takes her to bed. It has been so nice that he has taken on the bedtime routine! I'm really anxious to finish weaning her, not only because this momma needs a break before I start nursing baby #2 but also, she doesn't nurse for nutrition anymore. It's all a comfort/habit for her so she doesn't do a good job latching (no matter how many times I take her off, put her back on). My poor body is sore from normal pregnancy stuff, her bad nursing habits aren't helping that matter. I hope that we're finished nursing for good by March!

Beverages - This kid can drink huge amounts of whatever we give her! The last two months she has really gotten her first introduction to apple juice (the only juice we've tried so far) to combat several rounds of constipation. She loves her drinks, and is especially anxious to drink when she gets to out of a special big girl cup. So we've got quite the collection of childrens to go cups with straws etc from restaurants and sonic. So far there haven't really been any mess incidents with her obsession with cups and straws so for now that works well!

Solids - This past month in particular she's been finicky about eating a type of food on a consistent basis. Some of it is her beginning to form opinions and express choices but I know part of it is also that she's been sick. She loves cheese! We usually have processed cheeses around for sandwiches and these are her favorites! I've started trying to offer her more nutritious cheese options (string cheese, real cheese from the deli etc) but she really prefers the junk out of the plastic package. She loves eating chicken noodle soup and ramen noodles (she obviously doesn't get the latter very often, just a bite or two of Mommy's). Beyond cheese and crackers, I can't think of any particular food developments since her 13 month update. She will still eat meat, but is very iffy about it. Last night was an epic melt down over whether or not I would put cut up hot dog in her mouth.

ZZzzzzZZZ Sleeping - Sleep has been going much better. She is sleeping through the night more consistently (hopefully this is a development with age and is permanent?!?) and usually sleeps a solid 12 hours. It is nice that she's flexible, I can handle routine and appreciate it but also am very grateful that she adjusts as we need her to. If we have a later night out and she doesn't get to bed until 9 or 9:30, it's no big deal. I just know that the next morning she will sleep until 9 or 9:30 and I can't have anything planned early morning. The same goes for earlier bed times and later bed times - if I give her 12 hours to sleep she's good to go!

The one area of sleep we've still got work to do in is her in her own bed. We had a set back with some plumbing issues at our house so we're at my Dad's again (should be fixed this week!). In bed with us is really the only option here. I'm working to remind myself that this is a season and this too shall pass. I know one day I'll look at my little girl and wish she wanted to crawl in bed with us.

One thing that is new & I want to always remember is how attached to her Daddy she is! She likes to lay where she can reach out and touch one of us to reassure her that we are there. If we move, she reaches and doesn't find one of us she will sit up and look for us and move to where we are in the bed. She did this with me for months but has really started doing it to John more. John isn't a cuddler when he is sleeping, he likes his space, so he'll run from her in his sleep. He'll move from sleeping at the head of the bed to being "backwards" with his head at the foot of the bed. Then after she finds him, relocates to riiiiggghhht next to him or on top of him they'll sleep a while. This little dance of him moving, her following goes on all night. I've been struggling with pregnancy insomnia so I've been awake to watch quite a bit of these maneuvers at night. I never want to forget how adorable they are sleeping side by side.

Right after she went down the slide on her own!

Our Little Socialite - This month in particular Cora has really developed in her play skills! She independently plays well in the morning and will occasionally ask to have a book read to her or a toy played with (she asks by bringing it to you & setting it in your lap). When we take her to the park she loves climbing up and down the stairs, walking all over the place (she is still very proud of her walking skills!). She's starting to try to run but usually topples over. Last night at the park playground she took the initiative to go down the big slide by herself! She was about to go head first but backed up, got on her tummy and went down feet first! I was "upstairs" with her, fortunately John was handy "downstairs" to catch her. She slid down several times after this, she's very proud of this discovery!

Likes-She loves her Doll that was a Christmas gift. This has by far become her favorite toy. It's beautiful that without any prompting or showing from us, she knows how to nurture and care for her "Dolly". She's going to be a great big sister! Her Dolly is also the only toy we can say "Where's Dolly?" and she will seek it out.

Dislikes -Getting dressed... or undressed for that matter. Blowing her nose (which is still a work in progress) or me wiping her face. Wearing socks or shoes, they are taken off the moment I put her in the carseat!

New - She has started regularly calling me "momma" which is nice because although she could say it, she usually just referred to me as "dada" too. :) She loves taking things out and putting things in the trash, we're all ready for this phase to be over! We've found cell phones, remote controls, food, all manner of things that shouldn't be in the trash there thanks to Miss Cora! She started walking without prompting from one of us back in mid December. I wish I could remember exactly when but it was very close to her 14 month mark. She was in Sunday School and as we picked her up I noticed that there was a little boy about her age walking around her classroom. Seeing another child her age and size be able to walk was the trigger! That afternoon she started walking on her own!
In December right before Christmas we had to put our Boxer, Clyde, down. She had learned to say "Dog" and the week he passed away she started saying "Cwyde" in the mornings as he'd wander out of his bed and ask to be put outside. She loved her "Cwyde" very much. I never want to forget all their cuddles and how good he was with her!

Fun things we did since 13 month update - 
~Early Thanksgiving celebration with John's grandparents in Austin
~Seeing Josh off at the airport for his two years of service in Okinawa, Japan
~Thanksgiving with my Dad's family
~Meeting Santa Clause
~Helping move her Grandma and Chipaw
~Joining Mommy & Daddy at the Doctor to see the new baby!
~Christmas & announcing the pregnancy to family with her fancy new Big Sister shirt! 
~Uncle Jacob & Aunt Stephanie's Wedding!
~A visit from her Great Grandparents
~ Mommy's Birthday (that we all spent laying in bed sick...)













On the 20th we went to the Midwife for another check up on baby 2.0 and Cora went along too (John was there to help corral her). She was being fidgety and a little noisy the whole visit up until my Midwife had the heartbeat on the Doppler. Cora was so quiet and interested in listening to her baby brother or sisters heart beat. It was the sweetest thing! She just sat in Johns arms with her mouth open slightly looking very interested in what was going on! 

Goings on with Mommy & Daddy - Working on the house, being sick for a couple of weeks in a row, recovering from the holidays. Mommy has been struggling with normal first trimester stuff plus a bought with the blues so we're looking forward to getting past all of that and to a fun and exciting end of winter & spring!

Coralie - 13 months old

Weight/Height - Just the other day she was sitting on the bathroom scales while I was in the shower, I peeked out and she was coming in at just over 26 pounds!

Health - She's healthy as a horse! (where did this saying come from!?!)

Nicknames - "Pumpkin", "Cor-Cor", "Cora Bear", "Cora Bora" and most recently "Bulldog" because she scrunches her face and snorts through her nose when she isn't happy with what you're doing (like putting her in the car seat). John has also recently called her "Cora-lizzy" short for Cora Elizabeth.

A last minute Halloween trip to the Deli!

Teething - On the day of her birthday party she cut a 4th tooth (top). She hasn't had any more come in yet but she's certainly teething. She and my Dad have this system worked out, she takes his finger and puts it on the part of her gums that hurt, he rubs the gums and she babbles in appreciation (and doesn't bite him!). I think it's so funny that she goes to different people for different things, she knows who meets what need. She also loves chewing on her little gummy toothbrush to alleviate teething pain. This is great because she doesn't like teething rings/toys other than the occasional cube of ice in a mesh feeder. 




Clothing - She has a few 12 month outfits that fit (as in I can squeeze her in them, but probably aught to pack them away). Everything else is 12-18 months or 18 month clothes. Some of these are even tight! I was just tugging an 18 month shirt down that had ridden up on her belly and was thinking that I might have some 24 month winter shirts packed away we got in hand-me-downs that I need to pull out. I'm pretty sure that if she'll ever start walking for real (opposed to the occasional 3 steps to Mommy or Daddy) she'll loose some of her chunk and these clothes will fit properly again.

Diapers - She's about out of size 3 disposables but I'm making them last because we still have another box of them from a diaper shower! We haven't done cloth since we've been staying with my Dad, but we will absolutely be going back to that as soon as we're settled in. At this rate though, it'll probably be New Years before I break out the cloth diapers again. Her dirty diapers are also getting to be a bit much to handle (#nasty) so I won't lie, I don't look forward to dealing with that in cloth.

Eating - Nursing - Still nursing in the morning at night. She's hit or miss on nursing to go down for naps. Occasionally she wakes in the night and I nurse her back down but I'm really trying to stop that habit (because that's exactly what that is, a habit that needs to be broken!). She doesn't really nurse during the day and if she asks (and isn't sick, or teething etc to warrant needed additional nursing) I offer her sippy cup to her and really encourage that. Usually she's just misplaced it or I haven't gotten it back out of the refrigerator and she's just using me as a walking, talking beverage dispenser. Sometimes she's just really insistent on nursing and I don't ever turn her down if she repeatedly asks after I've offered alternatives.  

Beverages - she loves drinking from her straw sippy cup! She'll drink milk (cow milk and almond milk), water and occasionally watered down juice. This past month she has really learned how to use sippy cups other than the straw type and has gotten the coordination down to turn the cup up with her hands as she sucks! I'm excited because now she's using the collection of cups we bought and tried before finding that she would only drink from straw cups before! (On the way to Branson I also learned that cups with handles out to the side, she can turn enough to get the lid just enough off that she will spill milk everywhere!)
Solids - She eats everything we do! Meat has been her biggest area of growth this month! She loves chicken and tolerates hotdogs chopped up. She has recently started using a fork! She would grab mine off my plate after eating and was really fascinated with it, we kept finding where she was hiding forks for playing with later! She has figured out how to feed me with a fork and is working on the wrist movement to scoop/stab and get it to her own mouth. I will be picking up toddler forks for her tomorrow (but I doubt she will use it, she prefers what we use).

ZZzzzzZZZ Sleeping - This is the one area in parenting I feel like I'm really struggling. With getting ready to move, then moving and all the craziness there for a solid month (September) she would be at my Dad's house until really late 11 pm - 1 am.  A few nights even up until 2 or 3 am (the nights we were moving). Bedtime fell apart for us and she wasn't consistently going down to sleep for the night (though she'd napped quite a bit through the evening/night) until 1 am. I'm still paying for this... through October we progressively worked on backing up her bedtime but our lives were still pretty chaotic and she wasn't accustomed to sleeping at my dad's house. By the end of October, I got bedtime backed up to 9:30 - 10:00. Daylight Savings was a God-Send! Without much work on my part at all she's consistently going to sleep between 9 and 9:30 and sleeping until 8:30 or 9 in the mornings. I still want to back it up 30 minutes to an hour (bedtime routine starting at 8, in bed asleep by 8:30) but we've made huge progress! I worry that the holidays are going to mess things up, but I'm just going to have to be really strict about routine and consistency.
I also really dread getting sleep established in her own crib again, since October 1 she has been sleeping in bed with us, so we might start with the pack and play in our room, then transition back to the crib in her room. Ugh. I don't know. Where's the parenting manual on this???

Our Little Socialite - Play dates are more fun with Cora now that she is more interactive & alert. We go (almost) weekly to story time in our hometown and the neighboring Denton libraries. Twice a month to MOMs where she plays in nursery & she loves going to "Sunday School" at church.

Likes- Playing peek-a-boo with whatever she can find, has started enjoying being read to (as long as they're short books), playing with the Christmas decorations I have out, particularly the beaded garlands. 

Dislikes -Getting dressed... or undressed for that matter. Blowing her nose (which is still a work in progress) or me wiping her face.

New - She has some new words! "DID IT" she will exclaim after even the smallest acts of whatever she was trying to do; put a sock on her head, roll the ball, stand up on a difficult surface, get the lid off her sippy cup etc. She had been saying it for a while but she says it so quickly and without much ennunciation that we had trouble understanding here. She runs it together and you mostly recognize the 'D' and the 'T' and the middle is pretty smushed. She still says "Momma" and "Daddy", she has several other words and mini phrases like 'Did It' that we just haven't figured out yet what they are. She speaks Cora-ese very well! ;)

Fun things we did - 
~Coralie's First Birthday Party!
~Cora's first Trunk or Treat, ~Fall Festival and Halloween with Trick or Treating!
~Last minute trip to Branson, MO to visit Uncle Josh on special liberty 
~Uncle Joshua being home for a few days before leaving for Japan (he'll be gone for 2 years)
~Uncle Jacob's Senior Recital (trip to Marshall, TX)

Her shirt says "My Uncle is a Big Bad Marine"

Uncle Robert discovering the issues...

Goings on with Mommy & Daddy - We are still working on the house. We have managed to spend one whole night out there (before it got very unseasonably cold and we came back to my Dad's house... more because of water issues than cold). Speaking of those water issues... we needed to re-do one of the exterior walls siding. When we took the siding off we found a whole heap of plumbing problems. Water leaking into sheet rock, insulation etc. What was supposed to be a 3 or 4 hour project turned into gutting the wall, re-plumbing the entire kitchen (including washer/dryer), redoing sheet rock and insulation. It's not something I can do alone and everyone else works (and of course I have Cora and I can't really do that kind of work when I'm watching her...) so the project has been squeezed in where we can in addition to other on-going projects out there. It's literally taken the better part of 3 weeks for this to be completed.

Exciting Future- We're going this weekend to Georgetown to visit John's Grandparents for Thanksgiving. Of course Thanksgiving Day back home, I'm looking forward to starting some new traditions with our family. We'll spend Thanksgiving with my family, immediate and extended at my Aunt & Uncles house. Lots of fun Christmas preparations & events!

Our Little Pumpkin is One!

On Saturday we celebrated Coralie's first birthday party.

When we realized we would have moved less than a month before her party we knew hosting at home was out of the question. We choose to host at a local park instead. It was nice having the playground to entertain the kiddos!

We got her invitations on Etsy, I think they turned out really cute!

I tried to keep the party as simple as possible. Not only to maintain my sanity, but because I was also hosting a wedding shower for my brothers Fiancee that afternoon.

Cora had a rough week, on Wednesday (the day after her birthday) she had her 1 year well visit that included a round of shots. Then she was feeling puny from allergies on Friday. Friday night she woke up about 10:00 pm and thought it was morning? I finally got her back down at 2:00 am Saturday morning but our alarm went off at 6:00, so she was tired to say the least! We snuck in an unscheduled nap before party time but her mood was still off so I started searching for the cause...

Lo & Behold, she had cut a 4th tooth! She now has 2 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth!

With all the bad mood, we were doing good to get her into her tutu and she refused to wear her matching head band. I also didn't manage to get any pictures of her just sitting in her birthday outfit. 

(maybe Auntie Lauren had better luck?)

We had cupcakes and a smash cake that I didn't let Cora smash. :) 

I just couldn't deal with that kind of waste, so she smashed (and ate) a cupcake instead. 

For lunch we had hotdogs, frito chili pie, nachos and a whole host of finger foods I didn't get any pictures of.

 

We had a great time and I really enjoyed getting to visit with all of the family and friends that were able to come! 

As we were planning we were deliberating how we're going to manage birthday parties in the future. I think we've finally figured out a plan & I want to kind of debrief on what I thought of this party. 

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Party Favors

I read an article that discussed that party favors at birthday parties create a sense of entitlement for children. While it raised some interesting ideas, I generally poo-pooed the whole idea. You're thanking your guests for coming, it's a little token of your thanks... I don't see the harm.

In fact, when we were kids (until we were maybe 8?) when a birthday rolled around, we all got a present. The non-birthday kiddos got one gift (usually priced $5 or less) and then of course the birthday kiddo got several gifts. It eliminated (or at least decreased) the birthday jealousy (because you can explain that your birthday will come and then so-and-so won't be getting any gifts and you will until you're blue in the face but a 4 year old just won't get it!) and then we'd all play together with our new toys. I know there are parents out there cringing at this, but it worked for us and my brothers & I have grown up to be productive members of society and none of us struggle with entitlement issues. :)

Anyway, I'm struggling with what we should have as favors for Coralie's first birthday party! We will have between 9 & 16 kiddos with a wide range of ages. I don't want to give them junk that will just clutter & end up in the trash but I also don't have a fortune to spend either...

We have a pumpkin theme & it will be the weekend before Halloween... so instead of baggies I got pink & orange simple jack-o-lantern pails. Suggestions on what to put in the pails? Bonus points if it is inexpensive and not candy :)

Coralie - 8 & 9 Months

June and July have been all about trying to find a new 'normal' after such a busy April and May. In some ways I'd like to say we have found the new normal but in that same breath I have to acknowledge that this new normal needs some serious repair, I'll discuss that more when I talk about her sleep habits...

Weight/Height: 20.5 lbs, I'll confirm her weight and get her height at her 9 month appointment coming up next Tuesday. 
Health: She is healthy as a horse. Occasionally we worry some about ear aches, when we see her pulling at her ears off an on but from everything I read, they can usually clear up without antibiotics, so I keep some expressed breast milk in a dropper and drop a couple of drops in as needed. So far, no fever and no signs that the ear infection has progressed from the two times we've suspected it.
Nicknames: "Cor-Cor", "Cora Bora", "Chunky monkey", "pumpkin"
Teething: This poor kid still doesn't have any teeth. On one hand, I'm quite grateful as I assume that this is handy in our nursing... but I can tell she is in some pain. She doesn't like teethers but she has given in and seems to really like cubes of ice stuck in the mesh feeders. She'll also gnaw on anything hard she can get her hands on (that aren't teethers). She's got about 8 teeth under the surface just waiting to pop out, so I'm sure once this process starts, she'll go from no teeth to a mouth full!
Clothing: She is in 9 month clothing, some 12 month outfits. She has completly outgrown everything 6-9 months. 
Diapers:Cloth at home but size 3 when in disposables.
Eating: Milk - She is still being nursed. She nurses at least once during the night most nights, once first thing in the morning, at afternoon nap, again around dinner time if she is cranky and needs a quick nap and just before and at night before bed. On occasion we'll squeeze in a "snack" nursing session at other times to soothe or solve a grumpy mood. Water- after her last pedi appointment we started giving her small amounts of water in a sippy cup to get her accustomed to drinking from one for when the time comes to start weaning her. So far we haven't had a lot of luck with sippy cups... we've honestly only tried two so far without much luck. On our vacation she had a day where she got a bit dehydrated. It wasn't ever serious I started realizing how few wet diapers she'd had for the day and started shoving pedialyte down her before it had a chance to become an issue. After that water became a big deal while we were still in desert climates. She gladly took a water bottle with a hole poked in the cap over her sippy cup... not sure what conventional sippy cup we'll return to but for now this ghetto method works.  Solids - As John fondly states, Cora's favorite foods are the ones that we're eating. She eats like a champ! If it's soft and pliable or small enough for her to gum up and swallow whole she'll eat it happily! Some of her favorite snacks are vanilla wafers from Slaton Bakery, Veggie Straws, Cherrios (and ahem, anything sweet that Mommy may be eating).
ZzzZ...Sleeping: Oh sleep... I discussed this issue at length at the family reunion with many moms of differing opinions and parenting styles... I think we've found a solution but I just don't want to face it yet. I think we're going to have to resort to Crying it out... :(  Starting about 2 months ago now, Cora started refusing to sleep in her crib! I really wanted to make her sleeping in her room work so I was crashing in the glider in her room or on blankets on her floor. We finally resorted to putting a twin bed in there for me. After fighting with her, wrestling her to sleep (the idea of her self soothing and falling asleep alone is laughable...) then putting her in her crib only to have her wake time after time. Eventually she just ended up sleeping in whatever uncomfortable position I was in. Now, she's back in bed with us. It's been the easy solution, and I am all for co-sleeping in certain situations but we're not really wanting to co-sleep anymore. So, as soon as we have the house to ourselves again (we have had lots of house guests I don't want to inflict tears upon), sleep training it is!

Our little Socialite: Cora is generally a pretty social baby but recently she has acquired some stranger danger. She doesn't really want to be passed around endlessly anymore. She's quite comfortable with the people she sees most, Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa, all her Uncles (even Josh who she hadn't seen since he left for Boot Camp!), and Aunt Stephanie. If you're not on that list you have a 50/50 shot at whether or not she'll have a fit if you hold her.  She is very talkative, she clearly says "Momma" and "Daddy". We joke that she's also our little German Baby because as she has been babbling she likes to vocalize "nine-nine-nine-nine" as she is upset. 
Likes: Her doggies, really any animals she can touch and pet. She has really started grabbing ahold of hair and yanking. She loves being worn by her Momma and Daddy has started baby wearing much to her pleasure! When fussy (particularly in the car when there's not much I can do to calm) she is endlessly fascinated with food and eating!   Dislikes: bed time! being passed around large groups of people, diaper changes (she tries to escape, but Mommy has figured out how to put a diaper on with Cora on all 4's!), 
New: She full-on crawls now! She is a fast little bugger and likes to chase Daddy around the house! In the last 3 weeks she has started working on standing on her own but can't stand without assistance for more than 30 seconds or so.  

 

Fun things we did: Birthday parties for Ady and for a set of her twin cousins (June), play date with baby Becca (June), her first Fourth of July (including parade and fireworks!) (July), saw her Uncle Mike Aunt Val and Cousin Matt as they passed through town. Her first Vacation! Family Reunion, visited New Mexico, Arizona, California. Saw Uncle Joshua graduate from Marine Boot Camp.
Goings on with Mommy: Mommy is staying home with Cora full time now! I love this time with her! This is going to be our first full week of me being at home, so we're still working on a schedule but it is soooo nice not to mess with pumping! It was a little painful at first as my supply dropped down from the excess of pumping to just what Cora needs (and of course it was while we were on vacation & I didn't take a pump) but isn't an issue any more!

Goings on with Daddy: Daddy is loving his time with Cor Cor! She thinks he is all play! We'll have to work on her recognizing him as an authority, but for now it's great watching them play and interact! She gets a huge smile as he walks through the door each day!
Exciting Future: Next week is her 9 month pediatrician well visit and though we're not excited about it, Uncle Josh leaves again for more training with the Marines. It is possibly the last time we will see him before he is stationed (potentially) over seas.  We're scheduled to go to a Rangers game with friends in a couple of weeks! After that really the only big things on our horizons are a Tech football game and Little Miss Cora turning 1!! (I'm of course already planning that party!)
 

Cloth Diapering, done cheap!

 

We decided to try cloth diapers when we realized that at the rate we were going through Disposables, we would spend about $50 a month on diapers (on the low end). I also found that a particularly economical brand of Sposies (disposables) that actually fit our daughter well put off this odd chemical odor when she wet the diaper. It was faint, but there, not very comforting. Buying cloth diapers on a budget was a big issue, we already had enough disposables from showers to get us through for a little while so we decided to buy cloth diapers one or two at a time, starting with the cheapest, quality ones I could find.

We picked Pocket Diapers because it seemed easiest! Easy is key in our house! I also knew that if it wasn't easy-peasy John wouldn't really be interested in it. All in Ones would honestly be easier, but line drying diapers helps them last longer and I read over and over again that it took a long time to get All in Ones to dry. As we expand our collection I plan to add a few AIOs here and there, but for now I'm really happy with the pockets. After you wash & dry them, stuff the insert in the little pouch (I do this while I watch TV or while Cora plays in her jumparoo) and they're ready to go! When it's time to change I just put the whole diaper in the wet bag. On washing day I just pull the inserts out of the diaper as I toss it in the washer.

Prefolds (& covers) are significantly cheaper! This is probably what you think of when you hear Cloth diapering, the flat piece of fabric you pin to the baby. I actually really considered doing this! Now there are these nifty things called snappis that replace the pins, I was totally sold! Problem was, I knew I would end up being the only one in the house actually putting cloth diapers on the baby if I picked this style. It was only going to end up being practical & economical if I could get my husband and any caretakers (ie my father!) on board!

The three brands we initially purchased were, Alva Baby, Kawaii, and Sun Baby. (I wish I could find a reputable dealer for Happy Flute diapers, if you have suggestions I'd love to hear them!) These brands are the cheapest options I found out there. Eventually we plan to try the more expensive options one at a time. Each of these brands runs roughly $7 a diaper.

If you want to try these diaper brands out one at a time, I found that Amazon was a great resource, except for the Kawaii diapers - just order those from their website (Amazon had them for twice the price!). (Fair warning, shipping these diapers one at a time is pretty pricey as far as shipping is concerned, they're coming from Canada.) This is particularly relevant for trying out Sun Baby diapers. On their website, you have to order them in bundles, which is great if you know it will work for you, not so hot if you just want to check them out.

A note about these sellers - The Kawaii diapers shipped out of Canada and always got to me in a very reasonable time frame (roughly a week from ordering). The Sun Baby diaper I ordered was off Amazon, so I can't speak to the shipping times from the actual company. Alva Baby diapers shipped out of China and their shipping times showed it. They shipped the day after I ordered them, but I got them 3 weeks, 6 days later. Considering I paid like $.06 for shipping - I'll order again, you just shouldn't count on getting them quickly.

We decided we needed roughly 9 diapers to get through a day based on what we went through a day in disposables. Obviously, I'm not a fan of doing laundry every single day, and I've read that hang drying the diapers will make them last longer so ideally we will get our stock up to 18 or more diapers. For now I'm diapering Cora in cloth on the days I'm home with her during the week, so Tuesdays and Thursdays. I wash on Wednesday between so that I'm good for Thursday and again on Friday or Saturday. I try to get at least one weekend day in cloth, this will get easier as we get more diapers.

My wet bag from Sweet Bobbins

The Extras -  Beyond the diapers you will have at least one more need. Wet bags. To get started I purchased a medium sized wet bag that is big enough for my needs. Since then I've added a pail liner for my diaper pail, but that isn't necessary! If you plan on using cloth diapers outside of the house, you'll also need a wet bag that can go in your diaper bag. I recommend this amazing Etsy shop for your wet bag needs!





If you are really interested in saving money I recommend looking into cloth wipes! I looked at buying some but as cute as they are I just couldn't justify spending so much money on wipes, even if they are reusable. I made my own - I'll post about that another day. It was so easy and I have more wipes than I can use in several days and the cost was very reasonable! They don't add any more work to my diapering routine because I just toss them in the wet bag and then the wash with the rest of the diaper laundry!

I'm loving cloth so much! I hardly notice the added "work" of using cloth over disposables and I'm so much happier with putting them on my daughter!

Coralie - 1 Month

This month has gone by so quickly! Cora is still so tiny but her development changes daily! She's grown so much, I can tell a huge difference in her from her newborn pictures to today!

Cora at One Month:
- Mommy finally got her scheduled & in for newborn pictures!
- She generally sleeps 6 or 7 hours at night! Sometimes we revert backwards to the every two or three hours for a feeding.
- She still sleeps in her bassinet or in Mommy & Daddy's bed.

-Her awake periods are much longer and she's very alert.  She will nap about 30 minutes between feedings on average with only an hour long nap in the morning and evening. 

-She still loves her swing and bouncer
- She can hold her head up unassisted for long periods of time and loves belly time, particularly with her Boppy Pillow for support.
- She exceeded her birth weight! At her weight check, she was up to 9.5 pounds!
- Went with Mommy & Daddy to her first movie at the Drive in Theater! Catching Fire!

Cora at 5 Weeks:
- Slept for 8 full hours one night (after a very busy day meeting her Uncle Mike, Aunt Val & cousin Matt!)
- First church Thanksgiving pot luck! (Second time to church!)
- Her first Thanksgiving!
- Joined Mom, Dad & Granda on a Black Friday Shopping trip!

- She outgrew her first Newborn outfit! 

- She is really fighting gas but we're learning techniques to help her rather than giving her gas drops all the time.

 1. One Month Old! 2. Thanksgiving pot luck at church 3. Uncle Jacob came home & brought this nifty shirt from NYC 4. Meeting Uncle Mike & Aunt Val 5. Cuddling with Grandpa during Black Friday shopping 6. Thanksgiving outfits 7. Going for a walk at Grandmas.

{Working} Mommy Tales:

Next week I have to return to work. Words can't describe how much I'm dreading this. For now, until she has shots & is a little older, my Dad will be keeping her. Even with knowing she is well taken care of by Grandpa, I'm still really emotional and uneasy about this. Since we got her out of NICU, I've never spent more than 2 hours apart from her, I have no desire to be away from her. I should be able to return just part time, working 3 days a week, but I need to get the go-ahead from my boss tomorrow morning.

I'm also quite nervous about how it is going to work moving from exclusively breast feeding with maybe one bottle a day, to most of her feedings by bottle and needing to pump at work. I've heard of so many moms that go back to work and the combination of stressors and lack of time to pump end up depleting or eliminating their milk supply. Financially and emotionally we can't afford for that to happen. I really want (and need) to continue breast feeding her until she's 6 months and we introduce solids.

Count Down to Baby {36 Weeks}

It seems so crazy that we're at the tail end of the pregnancy (36 weeks, 4 weeks to go until due date!), in one week it is considered full term & perfectly acceptable for us to have Baby Girl! I'm just really struggling to wrap my mind around the fact that we're between one and five weeks from meeting her! (And then I struggle to accept that there is roughly a 5 week window there, making it difficult to plan life and the changes we're about to have!)

We had our last shower this past weekend so now we're just putting everything away and deciding what we "have to have" that's left on the registries verses "nice to have". It's all a little daunting, particularly since we've come full circle to face my fear of the "bottle wall" again. (I mean how can there be so many different options that all claim to be the best??)

I'm also beginning to slightly panic about the fact that I don't know everything (duh). I've just always considered myself to be well informed and I do my research, so things I don't already know I make it a point to learn. Then my world came crashing down the other day when John and I were hanging and folding clothes for Baby Girl and he asked how he should know if it was pajamas to fold for the drawer or clothes to hang in the closet?  I calmly replied "if it has footies on it, it's pajamas" - how foolish of me! 

There are these lovely adorable garments that have footies that are clearly not pajamas but not obviously an outfit. Now I'm terribly paranoid that I will dress my child in pajamas to go out of the house without realizing it and everyone else in the world will know what I've done because they have somehow deciphered the pajama verses outfit code and stand there and judge my poor parenting. Oh, and how the heck am I supposed to pair back up these adorable 3 piece sets with the pants, jackets & onsies after they have to be washed in 3 seperate loads due to their colors and mixed in with the 50 bazillion other outfits we've been gifted? I'm grateful I tell you, but it's stressing me out!! 

Now that I'm doubting my ability to dress my child, I'm sure I'll fail as a parent in every other aspect and will have some catastrophic "oh you didn't know that?" incident that will involve CPS by 6 weeks old. Anyone else have this fear? Nope? Just me? Yup - I know I'm loosin' it!

Weight Gain: 1 pound for the pregnancy!

Maternity Clothes: A very sore subject! I'm so disappointed in my maternity shirts! None, not one of them is long enough on me now! So I either wear a dress (but all of my dresses are summer dresses and it's beginning to actually get cool around here) or I wear my too-short shirts with my pants and just deal with the tacky stretch belly band showing. :(  No way can I justify spending more money on clothes now that we're in the final stretch... Grrr.....

Stretch Marks: Have bred like a bunch of gerbils and now mar my previously porcelain skin all across my belly.

Belly Button In or Out: Out & quite the entertainment for my shower guests when Baby Girl moves and makes it stick out further or suddenly jut back in. It's hard to hide it behind clothes when you're as round as I am these days.

Wedding Ring on or off: On, but I think I may finally have to take it off - I'm swelling slightly all the time now and I'm worried I'll have a bad water retention day and not be able to get it off.

Symptoms:I'm throwing up again, not sure why that joyful symptom reappeared.

Cravings:  Food is pretty revolting to me to be honest.

Aversions: None!

Sleep:It could be better, but it has certainly been worse!

I am loving:That her nursery is almost finished & our house is showing obvious signs that we're about to have a little baby in it!

I miss: Sushi, cold cut sandwiches, pina coladas, & Monster energy drinks.


Best moment this week: The last 2 weeks we have been so blessed by our friends & family with our baby showers! "Thank you" just doesn't seem adequate to the wonderful ladies that have hosted them for us & Baby Girl!

Milestones: We have made it to the weekly OB appointment mark! She could come at any time, but no later than 11/5 (since they won't let me go past 42 weeks)!


Exercise: We live about 6 blocks from my Dad's house, so I've started leaving my car there & walking from our house to his in the mornings. It's always my intention to walk home when I park the car there in the evenings but it's either been too hot (which shouldn't be an issue anymore!), or I'm just far too exhausted to even contemplate the walk so I con a brother into driving me the 6 blocks home.

Goals for the upcoming week:Finish out my to-do lists! I've already re-classified some items as unnecessary for before her birth though it would have been nice to get them done.

Nursery: It's almost finished!! I need to hang curtains & find a home for some of the clothes living in our crib right now. We do have a section of wall that could use some wall art, but I'm planning on hanging some pictures of Baby girl once she comes & some of our Maternity pictures, but we don't have those back yet. It may just have to remain blank until after she comes.

Bump watch:
It doesn't depict the actual size of my baby bump very well, but I thought it was fun - we took this on our nightly walks in a local park. (What it does show, is how large I feel!!)

My take on Breastfeeding

This is World Breastfeeding Week & though I have not personally breastfed or had my own child, I felt it was important to talk about why I am so passionate about breastfeeding.

I never knew that I would become such an advocate for natural labor and delivery or for breastfeeding.  I have always felt led to do everything in my power to provide this for my family, even long before I was considering having children. 

I watched my Mom struggle with the effect that medical interventions had on her deliveries and post-postpartum recovery with my brothers.  Looking back, I question how many of her interventions were truly necessary, but at the time were forced on her as a "medical necessity".

Source

After watching those struggles, it has always been important to me to do my very best to strive for the most natural birth possible, including breastfeeding. Should medical necessity arise and I need interventions? Then, Hey - that's a perk of living in our times, but I will do everything I can to have my children the way God planned for our bodies to.

The same goes for breast feeding.  Since childhood, breastfeeding was considered a natural part of the birth process. I remember playing "house" with my brothers, I had my little doll and I would pretend to breast feed her, holding her in the sling we created by tying a knot in a blanket mimicking the breast feeding sling my Mom used. 

Looking back, I find it surprising that I was so accustomed to the idea of breast feeding because it was something my Mother struggled with.  Due to complications with those lovely medical interventions - she never got the chance to breastfeed me. Her second child, Robert has Cystic Fibrosis and - well that's a story for another day, but breastfeeding didn't work for him. Come her third child, she was determined to breast feed and she had to fight tooth and nail to overcome the obstacles placed in front of her. Obstacles beyond that of what any new mother faces trying to establish a milk supply and handle everything that comes with having a newborn in the house (plus 2 other kiddos). She had to fight the doctor and at times those who loved her but doubted her ability to feed my brother; citing that it isn't "necessary" that "this is why there is formula" - there was no issue with her supply and Jacob and Joshua (child #4) certainly were not exhibiting Failure to Thrive.

Something I have learned very quickly about the world of pregnancy and parenting is that everyone has an opinion (including me).  The differences are, how do you express your opinion & is it shoved unnecessarily in someones face?

Source

So when I'm ask how I plan to feed my child (because yes, apparently that is considered an appropriate topic of conversation and acquaintances and practical strangers love to ask these things) and I express my preference for breastfeeding I feel like I'm being judged.  Immediately after the judgmental look I get the inevitable "why?" or "well don't be surprised if it doesn't work for you".  Usually I shluf it off and move on; but if you've caught me on a day that my hormones make biting my tounge a little harder - I'll tell you...

In my experience, in the experience of medical professionals and every ounce of research I can get my hands on - BREAST IS BEST.

In our family, Jacob and Joshua are leaps and bounds healthier than the rest of us. We can directly attribute it to the fact that they were breastfed. Mother was able to feed Jacob this way for longer, and he is healthier than Joshua. Even as a child, I could tell a marked difference between their health and mine.

The difference between me and the busy bees that ask me inappropriate questions is - I recognize that breastfeeding isn't always an option. I get it. I'm not so far off to the right on this that I can't comprehend that sometimes it is just not practical or possible to breastfeed.

Source

Do I worry about how it is going to work with me needing to return to work quickly after the baby? 

Certainly. But it won't keep me from trying. I just really fail to get why everyone sees such harm in a good plan. Go for plan A - if I can't have the unmedicated, intervention free birth and labor I'm planning for or just because I am not successful at breastfeeding  --  then okay it's time for Plan B. Just because my Plan A didn't work for you, or you didn't even want Plan A doesn't make it a bad plan or an unrealistic plan.

Reasons I plan to Breastfeed:

• It is undoubtedly, the best option for providing nutrition to my child.
• It is shown to decrease the risk of breast cancer
• Bonding between Mommy & Baby, special connection
• Natural immunities
• Significantly cheaper than formula (costs lie in pump, special bras etc.)
• I'm not upset in the least by the boost it will give my metabolism in loosing the baby weight ;)

So my message for World Breastfeeding Week - a word from a non-mother - mind your own business! Not everyone is going to do everything the way you did it. What worked for you may not work for them (and that goes both ways!). If you chose to exclusively formula feed - I don't judge you, so please don't judge me because I choose to use my body to feed my child.