Merry Christmas!

All family should have received their Christmas cards by now, so I think these are safe to post. Merry Christmas from our little family!

Yes, the gauntlet still lives on. I can only imagine what Christmas may bring. 

In good news, Justin seems to be doing better already. He has progressed from wheezy to coughy to snotty, but has seemed much, much happier in the past 24 hours. Baby Daddy refers to his antibiotic/steriod/formula mix as his 'drug cocktail' and his nebulizer as his 'bong' or 'hooka'. Thankfully he doesn't know what that means yet. He has spent a lot of time giggling and reaching for our faces, especially when we make silly noises. He has also really started to play with toys and pulls them to his mouth. I have a great video of him laughing that I will attempt to post later - this may be a Baby Daddy thing - technology isn't my best friend at the moment. Merry Christmas :)

Sick Baby

Remember that 'iron-clad' immune system I was boasting of Justin? I think I jinxed him. On Friday evening Justin started coughing, and it only got worse from there. We called the Doctor's office and followed a nurse's suggestion for a day, and then made an appointment this morning with his pediatrician (who we love). The verdict: An ear infection and bronchiolitis.

Booooo. He has an oral steriod (to help with swelling of his airways), a nebulizer (which creates a mist he can breath to help open his airways), and an antibiotic for his ear infection. Between three months of colic, three weeks of constipation, and this the poor little dude just can't seem to catch a break.

If you need us in the next few days, we'll be dealing with this:

This is actually an old photo of Fustin Justin. The poor little guy is just as miserable now :(

Justin's First Christmas

I think it goes without saying that we've been pretty excited for this Christmas (oh, since . . . last Christmas). We have prepared a few special things for Justin's first ring-around-the-Christmas-tree.

I was lucky enough to find a matching stocking for Justin and got it monogrammed (I may have done the same for Izzers - I told you we were 'those people'). It is hung on our mantle and Justin has already received the new 'Girlfriend'.

The Ornament -When Baby Daddy and I were married, we started a tradition of getting an ornament or two every year in the hopes that we will someday be able to fill a tree with just these ornaments. So far, we have an 'Our first Christmas' ornament, a John Deere Tractor, a Christmas Vacation ornament, a 'Rudolph The RedNosed Reindeer' ornament, and a Stormtrooper (guess whose idea that was). This year we started JFrog's collection - his rattle ornament says "Baby's First Christmas 2010". He will get one every year that reflects his current interests.

Donation - One of the things that we both agree on is that we could give more to others and hope to instill this thought in Tank from the beginning. We have decided to donate a gift to a charity of his choosing. This year we decided upon the University of Iowa Children's Hospital since, well, he's a baby, and we realize that not all parents and babies are as lucky as we are when it comes to health. In the future, we will let Justin choose - whether it be to the Humane Society due to an interest in Izzers, or Touchdowns for Kids due to an interest in football, or anything else that his little heart wishes. We want him to realize that even though we sometimes get caught up in wanting more and thinking that we don't have as much as we 'should', we have more than enough and should share with others.

Other Traditions - Alrighty Confession Time- I do not like mall Santas. We debated taking Justin to see Santa this past week when he was visiting our bank but decided against it. This happens to be one of the things I think mean more to parents than children, especially at this age. Baby Daddy often accuses me of not doing common things simply because they are common, but I really don't see the point of this. Also, paying $20 to get a picture of my baby sitting on the germ-infested lap of an a) pedophile or b) creepy old child-loving guy seems wrong to me. In the future, if Justin wants to see Santa we will make it happen, but until he requests it, we will pass. Call me a fun hater . . .

Christmas Vacation - Justin has already watched (that is: fussed a little and slept through) this, the GREATEST MOVIE EVER. It is a staple in our house, even though Baby Daddy only lets me watch it once with him. He is a fun hater.

Presents - We are both in agreement that Christmas presents will be opened on Christmas morning. No Christmas Eve presents in this household . . . Again, since Justin is too little to understand and is in general a fuss bucket between 8 and 10 pm- which has earned him the latest nickname 'Fustin Justin'- we gave him the new toy early this month. Hey - anything to make my Little Dude Smile when he's fussy.

P.S. Tom Brady - please cut your hair.

4 Months

Our Little Dude is four months old. Crazy . . . Here's a little update.

* Justin's newest nickname is 'Tank'. Allow me to explain:

Weight: 16.3 lbs (75 percentile)

Height: 26.5 in (>90 percentile)

Yep, he's well on his way to being a linebacker. We knew he was a big guy, but geesh - today we moved up the straps in his carseat and took the padding out of his swing.

* Many of his 3-6 month clothes are becoming short. The size 2 diapers currently residing on his cute butt may need to be switched for larger ones soon.

* Justin has an iron clad immune system so far. Both Mitchell and I have had the stomach flu, and I have had strep within the past month and JFrog hasn't shown symptoms of either.

Pardon SARS lady here - Baby Daddy was out of town for a few days and I had strep. Not wanting to breathe in his face, I donned this adorable and sexy face masks for two days.

* Justin is eating six ounces of formula at a time throughout the day. Unfortunately, the stomach flu did a number on my breastmilk supply (to the tune of producing only two ounces a day), so the Little Dude is only getting formula now. While I am glad to have my boobs back, formula does a number on his little stomach. We endured a couple of rough weeks dealing with constipation. I am sure my number is now screened by the nurses in Justin's pediatrician's office. On the fourth suggestion, we found something that worked and Justin is back to regular poo'ing. (Future Justin, I am sure you will be greatly embarassed by this - sorry :) ). Justin is not at all a picky eater - he had two different formulas (one soy - ick), some karo syrup, and now Miralax (the wonder powder for Justin's colon) and ate it all like a champ - not that you could tell by looking at him.

* He is not rolling over, but is making strides. Within the past week, he has started rolling on his side regularly and will do that enough to spin himself on the floor. He moves and squirms almost constantly.

Oh yes - Baby leg warmers :) (Baby Daddy thinks they are ridiculous)

* Justin is still sleeping well, though the constipation interefered for a few nights. He typically falls asleep around 9:30, wakes around 4, and goes right back to sleep after getting some food. Some nights vary - he may wake up around 1 am as well, or he may sleep until 5 like last night :) ). His naps still vary - somedays he naps 3-4 times, others only twice.

We call this 'Thug Mode'

* Justin's favorite toy is our arms. He loves to be carried, facing out - not facing in, and certainly not just facing out sitting down. We've broken out the Baby Bjorn a lot lately - even in Target, and he seems to like it. He grabs and holds his toys, often swinging them through the air. Mommy gets way excited when you hold onto something, though he started to pull everything (including mommy's hair) to your mouth. We have gotten an exersaucer and he has been it in a few times, for a few minutes at a time.

We borrowed cousin Annabanana's exersaucer while at Grandma and Grandpas two weeks ago

. . . and someone got jealous.

* He has gotten really good at lifting and holding his head up.

* We get the feeling that Justin is going to be a finger sucker. His hands are constantly in his mouth, and he has started using his fingers to pop out his pacifier so that he can suck on his middle fingers.

* In his fourth month, Justin met a LOT of new people and did great. You just have one more side of your extended family to meet, which will happen this Sunday. You are the center of attention and we love to show you off.

* Justin is so curious - he tracks who is talking, wants to feel different toys, grabs at whatever is in front of him, and has begun to notice Izzers (who is also getting curious with Justin).

We have a lot planned for you in your fifth month Tank - including your first Christmas :) I know a lot of moms are kind of sad to put away the baby things, but I am loving being a mom more and more every single day. I just adore your cute little face and can't wait to pick you up every day.

Product Reviews: 0-3 mos.

When I was pregnant, I asked all of my friends who were mothers to give me their opinions on various baby items - what were most helpful, if they had any brand successes or failures, what was unnecessary, and what was absolutely necessary. I also read reviews of every single product I was thinking of buying online, and luckily we avoided buying more than we needed and most of what we have we use. I know a few ladies who are pregnant, so I thought I would pay it forward and give you all my list - our product reviews for Justin's first three months.

The Good:

1. Sleep Sacks and Breathable Crib Bumper

Imagine you are alone with your seven week old baby, husband away on business, during the middle of the night when you are awoken by the worst baby shriek you've ever heard (no joke - so much worse than his two month shots). You jump up, reach down to get your baby from the crib, and he doesn't budge. After feeling around, you discover that his little leg has found its way between two crib slats and is STUCK between the crib and the wall. Terrifying - I pulled the crib away from the wall, gently eased his leg back into the crib, picked up my baby and held him tighter than I had probably held him that far. I actually called Mitchell at four in the morning, after Justin was fed and asleep - terrified that he had broken a leg and was going to be taken away by DHS. The moral of the story - Sleep sacks are awesome - they both keep baby warm and don't allow him to spread his legs far enough to get stuck between slats.

As a backup, I thought a crib bumper would be a good idea but wasn't about to put a nice, thick, cushy, SIDS-inducing bumper in there. I found a breatheable one online which is essentially a mesh fabric. Since we've started using sleep sacks and installed the crib bumper we have not had any problems and both Baby Daddy and I can sleep a little easier.

2. The Happiest Baby on the Block (DVD) and the best (and only) swaddling blankets you'll need

Prior to Justin's arrival, I netflixed 'The Happiest Baby on the Block' (much to Baby Daddy's disdain as his comic movies were pushed further back) for both of us to watch. It covers basic steps - the 5 S's to calm a colicy baby. At the time we had no idea that Justin would have colic, but we wanted to be prepared just in case. Despite what the netflix dvd tells you, the dvd is only 38 minutes long, not 2 hr. 8 min. It covers common sense methods to calm your baby that we used many, many times over the course of Justin's first three months. Colic is frustrating enough - not having knowledge of calming tools would make it that much worse.

One of the five S's is Swaddling - supposedly it recreates the feeling of the womb and brings baby back to a state of calm (or begins to). Justin started breaking out of swaddles when he was still in the hospital, so we did not swaddle religiously, but on a few rough nights when we couldn't get him to calm down, we broke out the.most.awesome.swaddling.blankets.in.the.world. Aden and Anais Swaddle Blankets (we used the ones made for Target) are made of muslin, so they are very light and would be perfect for a summer baby where light coverage is needed. They are also the largest swaddling blankets I have found and would definitely be usable as baby grows. They stretch easily and really do get softer with every wash. Bonus - They are now in some Target stores - back in my day they were only online.

3. 'Hospital Blue Nasal Aspirator'

Not all nasal aspirators are created equal. When in the hospital, they should give you a large blue nasal bulb aspirator. KEEP IT. You may think that the white ones sold at Target are the same. False my friends - false. They suck - well, actually they do not. Seriously - if some nurse tries to keep you from taking the blue bulb, smack her and run with it.

4. Baby Einsten bouncer

We actually bought a vibrating chair aka 'bouncy seat' before we were gifted the Baby Einsten bouncer. We quickly decided to keep the Baby Einstein (Thanks Kay!) for two main reasons. 1) The music plays continuously - you don't need to repeatedly pull a cord. 2) It has a light at the top that changes colors - and babies love lights.

5. Bright Starts Ingenuity Cradle and Sway Swing - Bella Vista

This swing is awesome. It has different music options (which will get stuck in your head and you'll find yourself humming them all day), swings both side-to-side (the only way we've used it) and front-to-back, you can adjust the seat incline, and the fabric is easily machine-washable (for blowout cleanup). I don't know if there is anything to this or not, but it claims to use 'hybrid drive' which is supposed to help with energy usage. I do know that after nearly 3.5 months of use, we are still using the original batteries. :)

6. Lansinoh nipple cream

If you plan to breastfeed, buy it. It will be your best friend.

7. Baby Einstein activity mat

It has 'The Girlfriend', and a music box. 'nuff said

The 'Meh'

Ergo BabyCarrier - This was rated very highly in online reviews and was supposed to be better than the Baby Bjorn. It is also more expensive and we were planning to use it quite a bit in our no-stroller experience. We used it twice, for walks around the block. And now we are using a Baby Bjorn . . . Justin likes it sooo much more because he can face out and see things beside my sternum.

Dr. Brown Bottles - Again supposed to be amazing. Unfortunately each bottle has 5 pieces to it which makes cleaning a pain. We did not find that they reduced colic at all.

Don't Bother

Diaper Genie or other - a stainless steel trash can that won't absorb odors does the same thing.

Video Monitor - This is one of those things that just plays on parents' insecurities. An audio monitor works just fine and it is recommended that babies stay in their parents' rooms for the first year. No, this has nothing to do with the fact that we don't have a nursery. . .

Crib Bedding - We all know that soft, loose bedding in a crib is a no-no. So save your money. No one (but maybe you) cares if the bedding is a matching set. Grab a few crib sheets and call that good. Chances are they are going to get peed on anyway, and if you do have loose bedding in the crib you will be up all night making sure your baby hasn't faceplanted into it.

Justin's Birth

It just occurred to me that Justin is nearly four months old and I haven't documented his birth story, if for no other reason than my own remembrance later.

Justin was evicted on Thursday, August 12, six days after his due date. My OB was not willing to let me go more than a week past Justin's due date, and though I pushed for an induction on that day, yes Friday the 13th, they were unable to accomodate us (I wasn't aware a reservation was required for childbirth). I slept really well the night before I was induced and we arrived at the Labor and Delivery floor of Covenant on time (!!!). In my typical way of dealing with things I am nervous about - I hadn't really allowed myself to think of what was going to happen beforehand. Thus, I was getting really nervous walking to the unit. I kept thinking, 'When I walk out of here I will be responsible for a tiny, new baby'. It was a surreal feeling. We checked in and were shown to our room. A few minutes later, my labor nurse - a lovely woman named Mary - arrived and handed me a gown, told me to change, and climb in the bed so she could poke me a bunch of times and hook up lots of equipment. Well, you don't really mess with the lady who watches you during birth so I did what she told me.

When she got back, she hooked me up to what I call the 'contraction machine' which showed I was having contractions, unbeknownst to me. I really think that I would have gone into labor on my own in the next day. As it was, she put in the IV and started a pitocin drip - as I was already effaced and dilated a little, I had no need for Cervadil - around 10:30. Mary asked what my thoughts on epidurals were (I was highly considering one since I heard of the induction) and reassured me there was no need for me to feel any pain (lovely woman, truly). Once the pitocin kicked in, the contractions went from unnoticeable to OHMYGODMAKEITSTOP. With every contraction, I felt immense pressure on my bladder and thus tightened all muscles, which is exactly what you are not supposed to do. Mary noticed this and called in the anestheologist. Within twenty minutes I had an epidural in place. It was wonderful. Mitchell did watch the monitors throughout my labor and did say that the ones I felt were some of the worst. Whether he was just trying to make me feel better or not, I do not know.

Around 12:00 my OB came in and broke my water. It was about this time that Mary, noticing my low heart rate and low blood pressure, commented that I 'must work out'. I laughed and replied, 'never'. For the next two hours, I shook uncontrollably which really freaked Mitchell out. As it turned out, I was simply dilating quickly and was in the transition state. I spent the time working on a crossword with Mitchell, online shopping, and checking facebook. The next time I was checked, I was around 9.5 cm. Mary called my OB, and a few more things made its way into our room - tables of sterile tools and gowns and supplies for Baby Hunt mostly.

Mary had me 'practice pushing' starting around 2:30. By practice pushing, she meant 'whenever you feel a contraction, or IF you feel a contraction (I guess I was pretty doped up - even for an epidural), try to push'. So for the next hour, hour and a half, I pushed every now and then, sometimes lapsing 15 minutes ,while Mary helped move me around to get better reads on Justin's monitors and to see which position helped move him further down. Remember - he was already really low, as I was told by EVERY SINGLE DOCTOR AT EVERY SINGLE APPOINTMENT PAST 35 WEEKS WHEN EVERYONE TOLD ME I WOULD GO INTO LABOR EARLY. Around 4:00 things got serious and it was all pushing business from there. The OB used a vacuum on the last push to get Justin around the pelvic bone, and then my baby was here! He was so handsome and had hair! He figured out the eating thing right away and we were surprised that he came in over half a pound less than the estimates.

Mitchell and I waited about an hour until we decided upon 'Justin' to call our families. The ladies in my family are known for quick labors - my parents were afraid I was going to be born on the way to the hospital and Annabanana was born about 4 hours after my sister's water was broke - and they had gotten impatient and just left for the hospital earlier.

So there you have it, the story of how Justin arrived. Now that he has officially doubled in size, I already get nostalgic looking at this picture, thinking of that day and how my life changed.

PostPartum Check-In # 1

We're three weeks in and both have good news to report. and bad news. Good news - both Baby Daddy and I lost three and a half pounds. Bad news - we each lost four pounds due to the stomach flu two weeks ago and gained half a pound during Thanksgiving.

Since the point of sharing this embarrassing information publicly is to shame ourselves into getting off our butts, here is the dirt:

Bon - I have been totally failing in the exercise department (like once). I have the best of intentions when leaving work, but seem to find lots of excuses when I get home. I also overindulged a little during Thanksgiving.

Mitch - "Thanksgiving and lack of exercise makes Mitch a doughy boy" (his words)

So, goals for the next two weeks:

Bon - Exercise at least six times; Eat better breakfasts, limit snacking after work

Mitch - Exercise at least six times

We'll se how we do in the midst of the holiday season!