The Top Five Things I Didn't Know I Needed

There were many things I knew I would need for when Ella Kate was born: a crib, some cute clothes, a car seat, a stroller, and soft blankets to wrap her in.  These things went immediately onto the registry.  But the lists we got from the places we were registering were overwhelming.  Would we really need every single thing on those lists?? Some things seemed repetitive and some seemed unnecessary.  However, there are many things that we received that I didn't know we would need, and things that I had registered for that I didn't realize how MUCH we would need them!  Here's my list of the top five things I found out we needed:

5. Gas Drops

Holy cow.  I had no idea gas would be such an issue.  You just feed the baby, then burp her, right?  Wrong.  Gas can happen at any time and, apparently, it's extremely painful!  Especially when they are teeny tiny, they don't have the muscles to push it out! It's heart breaking!  Her first real tears came because of gas.  But the gas drops work miracles.  I learned to give her a little bit each time just before she ate to help the gas bubbles collect into one big bubble and pass more easily.  The results were also a little humorous if, like me, you have the sense of humor of a prepubescent boy when you are sleep deprived.  The gas sounds that come from such a tiny body after the drops are given are epic.  Epic, I tell ya.

4. The Wubbanub (or the similar brand, which we got, but I don't know the brand name)

We have just purchased this recently.  I'd heard a lot about the Wubbanub, but we found this similar product that was a dollar cheaper at Babies R Us and came with two detachable pacifiers and a cover.  The reason it's so great is that it stays in one spot, which is useful since Ella Kate is not able to pick up her paci and put it back in her mouth on her own yet.  When she's in the car, it's extremely helpful because the paci doesn't fall out and roll all around, making it impossible for me to find and put back in her mouth.  Plus, she's having fun holding onto the stuffed animal part and playing with it when she's not using the paci.  It also works really well at night when combined with...

3. The SwaddleMe

I don't think we registered for these, and if we did, I had no clue how useful they would be!  Ella Kate is a master at breaking out of a swaddle, but the super strong velcro on these makes them almost impossible for her to break out of if she is swaddled correctly.  It also helps keep her warm at night, providing an extra layer of fabric without the suffocation risk that blankets and sheets cause.  Especially now that our little wiggle worm finds herself almost upside down from the position we laid her in every morning.  She even naps better when swaddled since she still startles herself awake or smacks herself in the face with her little arms when she's sleeping.


2. The Sound and Movement Monitor

We didn't register for this, but bought it just before she was born.  I heard and read so much about SIDS and how some babies just stop breathing in their sleep.  New mothers drive themselves crazy checking to make sure their baby is still breathing while asleep.  It's nerve wrecking and terrifying.  This monitor has a mat that goes under the crib mattress and monitors to make sure the baby is still breathing.  If it senses that baby is not breathing, an alarm goes off and the parent can spring into action.  We have had several false alarms from instances when Ella wiggled her way off of the mat while she was sleeping, or when her breathing was very shallow (as tends to happen with newborns).  We also had one night when I was still up getting things done before bed and the alarm kept going off.  When I'd go to check, it seemed like she was still breathing, until I finally re-positioned her and realized her chin had been really close against her chest and she had not been breathing as well as she needed to.  After re-positioning her, the alarm stopped going off.  It made me feel so much more secure that she was safely sleeping.

1. The Sound Machine/Light Show

This is number one for a reason.  My two darling dogs love to protect their new baby and tend  to bark a lot at night.  Every little sound they hear outside is surely someone breaking into the house to take their baby, and they let every little sound know that they are there to protect her.  So the sound part of this definitely helps drown out the crazy dogs.  Then there's just the comfort that Ella feels hearing white noise while she falls asleep.  There have been quite a few 8 pm meltdowns that have been resolved by turning up the ocean waves and rocking Ella right next to the machine.  It quickly calms her and helps her fall asleep.  I love to listen to it through the monitor at night and fall asleep to the sounds, too!  Kyle always turns the sound off before he comes to bed, he doesn't like to listen to it when he's falling asleep.  Which is funny considering he sleeps through his alarm some mornings!  The light show on this machine is also awesome.  I have recently started using it to help calm her down now that her teeth are starting to come in. It helps distract her and keep her occupied while the teething tablets are going to work.


Honorable Mention:  A back-up plan

Many parents keep their new baby in the room with them and transition to the crib later.  That didn't seem practical to us.  The pack n play would take up too much space in our bedroom, Ella's rocker and changing table are in her room, and I was going to have to trek across the house every time she woke up anyway, so there was no point in trying to keep her in our room.  Plus, the monitor helped me feel secure with her being in her own room.  I could hear her and get to her in plenty of time.  However, sleeping in a great big crib was too much for such a tiny baby.  She needed to feel more secure.  So, I took the bassinet attachment for the crib, which had sides that propped up around, and put it in the crib so she could get used to being in the crib.  It worked wonderfully, and she slept in her own room by the third night we came home.  She's also been sleeping through the night since she was six weeks old.

Weekend Projects: The Home Made Moby Wrap

If you know me, you can assume that I am usually working on at least one project.  Now with a little one at home, I'm trying even more new projects at home.  So far, Kyle has made his own laundry and dish detergent, and I have started making cloth diaper covers and training pants, in addition to my crochet projects.  We will be making even more things from home as Ella Kate gets older and has new needs.

We have a carrier for Ella that I love.  We registered for it and received it as a shower gift.  It works great, and Ella loves being "worn" while we are out and about.  The only problem with it, is that Ella and I are both very hot natured, so if we are going to be outside, I needed something a little more lightweight to keep us a little cooler.

So I saw a post on a BabyCenter Birth Club message board where someone had made a Moby-style wrap. She said it was super easy and it was nice and lightweight.  Two things I look for when I'm attempting to make something.

I tried it out, and it was perfect.  I was even able to complete the entire thing while Ella was in one of her occupied phases when she could entertain herself.  Those usually last about thirty minutes before she needs a little attention.  (Of course, she usually doesn't go that long without attention, she's just way too cute to not pour attention on her!)



While writing this, I took a short break, for no other reason than to stick my face uncomfortably close to Ella Kate's and make noises. Someday that will be annoying.



Anyway, here's what I did to make the wrap:

I went to Joann's fabric and asked where the jersey material was.  The secret to finding the right type of material is to find something, like jersey fabric, that doesn't fray where it's cut.

I found something I loved:

Kyle was with me, so I made sure he never intended to use this wrap.  That gave me free reign to buy something sparkly!


The original idea said to get five yards of the fabric you choose.  With five yards, you can cut the five yard length into three sections and you will suddenly have three wraps!  Just measure the width of the fabric and mark it at 20 and 40 inches all the way down. You don't have to worry about cutting it perfectly, it won't show once you are wearing the wrap.  This is a very good idea if you want to give the extra two for gifts, or if you want to have two stand-by wraps while one is in the wash, or have one to leave in your car in case you forget the other. That's it.  You now have three wraps!

I did it a little differently, and my version does require some minor sewing.  I picked some "fancy" fabric, so it was more expensive than what I'd planned on buying.  I knew I didn't necessarily need three wraps, so I bout two yards and cut the fabric into three sections.  I then sewed the three sections end-to-end using my sewing machine.  It took very little time, I just made sure to reinforce the edges of the stitches so they wouldn't come undone when stretched a little after the baby was inside. I did have a little extra length, so I cut the ends off.


In order to figure out how to actually wear the wrap by googling "how to moby wrap" and found the moby website.  They give directions on different types of holds and include video examples.  It's really simple, and Ella loves being so close to me while being able to look around at everything when we go places.  The wrap is also useful because you can easily adjust it to fit your baby and yourself. I have a long torso, so I have to wear it a little higher than others might, or Ella starts to slump a little, but with simple adjustments, I can wear it tighter and higher, and she is in the perfect position.

My last note on using it:  I put it on myself before I left the house and drove to the store wearing it.  When we got there, I simply took Ella Kate out of her car seat and dropped her into the carrier.  Very quick and easy!

I love my weekend projects and making things, and it's even more fun now that Ella is here to make my projects even cuter!

If you decide to make one of these, share your experience with me! I'd love to hear about it!

Milestones

 


Today we celebrate that Ella Katherine Mason was born three months ago!  She was not quite as excited about it as the rest of us were...

No, but seriously, she has grown SO MUCH!

 

Newborn                                                  One Month

 

Two Months                                               Three Months

 It's crazy to think of how MUCH has been crammed into three very short months of life:

Ella Kate has...

  



 had her first bath...














started holding her head up...

started smiling...

discovered her tongue...
















smiled in response to people (social smiles)...











 





giggled...
















discovered her hands...















 

held onto and shook toys (and put them directly into her mouth!)...




perfected head and neck control! (We are still waiting on the whole rolling over thing, but, as I told Kyle, I've never met an adult who couldn't roll over, so I'm not too worried about it!)...



 

and batted at and grasped hanging toys.

Of course, there are other milestones that have not been easy to capture in pictures, like her large vocabulary of goo's and gah's, her ability to track objects, her extreme wiggle worm qualities, the way she pushes her weight on her legs when there's something near her feet to kick off of, responding to sounds, and the rather large grins and squeals she produces when Kyle or myself suddenly appear before her. She has come so far and her little personality is really starting to shine through.  I can't wait to see what will happen next!

I never thought I'd be so obsessed with silly things like the absolute hilarity of drool, or the excitement of seeing a person hold onto an object... and then there was Ella.

Man Crush Monday... On Tuesday

Well since my internet decided to stop working last night, and I was too obsessed with every move Ella made, I didn't have time to worry about trying to fix it.  So, you're getting yesterday's post today.

This post is all about my favorite man.  And since he doesn't like a lot of attention on him, I'll try to keep it brief!

I loved him when I said I'd marry him, I loved him more when I married him, and I love him a little more every single time I see him with our little girl!  As I've said before, we don't have a lot of time to spend together right now (but summer will be much better!), but when I do see him, I feel like a little kid with a crush all over again.  I found myself gushing over how "cool" he was the other day.  He was installing a new light fixture in his man cave, and had crawled up into the attic to wire the light to an existing light switch.  I suddenly realized, he just somehow knew how to do this.  It might not seem like a big deal, but I started thinking of all of the things that he does around the house: electrical, plumbing, maintenance, whatever.  He's just really cool.  And I'm like the weird nerdy girl that likes to read and dance awkwardly singing into a hairbrush that he likes but doesn't exactly know why!

Anyway, when it comes to being a daddy, his cool factor goes up even more.  We have had many, many visitors since Ella Kate has come along.  People comment to me all the time about things that Kyle just does without being asked.  He anticipates needs: my needs, Ella's needs, housework needs, and sometimes his own needs.  He does what needs to be done quietly, doesn't complain, doesn't ask for help.  I get comments like "He just put a load of diapers in the wash!" and "He just put dinner in the crock pot!" or "He just changed her diaper!"  I know that we share these responsibilities, we should.  But people are so impressed by the things he does on his own, and without saying a word.  I am impressed, but I am even more so grateful.

Of course, she's his daughter.  There's no reason for him NOT to do the things that he does, but I read so many message boards about significant others that refuse to help, or complain about helping, or just leave.  So I am grateful.  I can't thank him enough, and I'm pretty sure that if I tried to thank him enough, he'd get annoyed and tell me to stop thanking him and leave him alone so he could put away the diapers (or whatever task he has taken upon himself to do)!

So here's to my man.  Ella and I couldn't do it without him, and I know he will be her first love!

First Mother's Day

Mother's Day is about celebrating the role of a mother, and today was my very first Mother's Day as a mother!  Of course, I received a sweet gift "from Ella" (Kyle refused to take credit for it) and got to spend the whole day with my sweet baby girl.  So I'll start with the "good" things!

I got a ring with Ella's birthstone on it to add to the rings with mine and Kyle's birthstones that I got two Christmases ago.  I'm thrilled to add her ring to the collection, but a little sad that the rings don't fit on my fingers again quite yet.  I have a few more pounds to lose before they'll slide on and off easily, but the gift was absolutely perfect!

And, of course, I spent the day with Ella Kate, my heart!  I love her so much and love spending my time with her as much as I can!

But my day was not particularly what everyone would consider "perfect."  Being a mother means playing that role in all situations and at all times.  It means doing what's best for your children.  So what's best for Ella Kate?  Right now what's best for her is for Kyle and I to both work full time, but on different shifts so that one of us is always home with her, neither of us has to take a pay cut, and we don't have to pay for child care right now.  It means that we see very little of each other, but Ella can be at home with two people who know and love her perfectly, she's not exposed to other children's germs, and she gets to bond with both of us.  It means that Kyle had to work all day today, and I was at home alone with Ella.  I also didn't go to visit with family in Rockingham, because I didn't want to drive there alone with Ella, and I didn't want to come home exhausted tonight, making Monday morning even more difficult than Monday mornings usually are. To add to this, Ella is going through her third Wonder Week mental leap (see wonder weeks), making her extremely fussy and difficult to feed.

And my Mother's Day was perfect!

I got to stay at home with my perfect baby, comforting her when she was upset, drinking in her sweet giggles when she was happy, feeding her from a bottle when she was too distracted to nurse, snuggling with her while she napped, and playing the role of mommy, knowing that she was getting the very best of all the things that she needed.  I love being a mommy, especially being HER mommy!

 So, Happy Mother's Day to all the mommy's (especially MY mommy), from Ella Kate and me!

Lessons from Ella Kate: Boring is Not Boring

This one will be short.  I have a lot of laundry to put away and I'm sleepy, despite napping three hours (!!!!) while Ella took a nap for once.  Oh, the life of a mommy!


For anyone who doesn't know, I work as a Special Education teacher, and am currently teaching seventh grade.  Even if I wasn't teaching Special Ed, I would still be dealing with many children who have something in common: ADHD.  It seems to be such a huge epidemic which, I believe, is severely over diagnosed.  But that's a topic for another time.


At 12 weeks, Ella has become very much more aware of EVERYTHING around her.  She is constantly looking around, twisting her head one way then the other.  Kyle and I have both noticed that she even does this while eating, no matter how hungry she is or how long it's been since she last ate!  While it is a little annoying (especially for a nursing mommy, ouch!), I am amazed at how quickly she is developing, and I love the look on her face when she zeros in on something new and interesting. 


I use the word "interesting" loosely.  Normally, the thing she finds new and interesting would be considered quite boring to me!   But for Ella, boring is not boring.


So what is it that keeps her entirely focused for long periods of time, no matter how she is feeling?  Oh, her best of friends, of course:

It never fails.  No matter where we are, if there's a fan, she's entranced!  And that brings us back to my earlier comments about ADHD.  When do kids start to lose their focus and their delight in simple things?  I know that, like now, she will continue to get distracted by things around her as she grows and learns.  That's what she's supposed to do.  But her focus on some things is simply amazing. 


The lesson I'm learning is that, sometimes, we all need to be satisfied in the simple things in life.  I sometimes find myself watching TV, on the computer, and flipping through something on my phone all at the same time, and still feeling bored. 



So I take a lesson from Ella: take time to look around and take everything in.  Find that one thing that entertains me, and focus in on it.  Really focus in.  Be satisfied with one thing at a time.  Learn that sometimes I just need to be still and at peace with the world around me.  It is so amazing how she smiles and coos at things that don't respond to her.  Her hanging toys, the ceiling fan, the framed picture behind the couch, sometimes even the wall.  It's all new and exciting to her.  My new daily goal will be to find something simple to entertain myself with, and really enjoy just being in that moment.


Thank you, Ella.  I can't wait for our next lesson!

Flashback Friday: Playing Catch Up!

Since I'm just starting the blog almost three months into Ella's life, I am going to use this post to bombard the world with some of Ella's videos so far!  We will start with her video from this week and a few early videos.  Then, I'll be uploading a current video along with an older video once a week until I'm caught up! (Some of the videos were being pains, so they're YouTube links instead of imbedded videos, so, sorry about that!)

This week, Ella is excited to be holding her head up, is starting to enjoy tummy time, and trying really hard to roll over.  Not evident in the video is her new ability to grab the play mat in front of her and attempt to pull herself forward, even though crawling is (hopefully?) still a ways off!  Other recent developments include holding onto things when placed into her hands, putting said things directly into her mouth, and focusing on watching her hands and feet move all around!

12 Weeks! 

This video is from my Mom's birthday party.  We got the family together to announce my pregnancy, but if you know me and my Mom at all, you know that we had to do it in our own unique way.  The family's reaction was priceless!

Hollie's Gonna Have a Baby!

Looking back through my camera, I found this very early video of Ella Kate, at one week, and thought: "What a boring video!"  Until I remembered that, at the time, every tiny thing she did was special and new!  So here's her one week video, showing her focusing on the blinds and making some small movements:

 One of my favorites is the first time I caught her giggling on camera.  She thinks I'm hilarious now, but I'm sure everything I do will be considered totally embarrassing someday.  It just comes with the mommy territory!

And another first: Ella's first social smile that I was able to catch on camera.  We had a lot of smiles in her sleep, followed by tiny smiles here and there.  It took a while, but I finally got one on tape when she was four weeks old.

2 Week Smiles!

So, there you go!  Just a few videos to keep you entertained until my next blog entry!  Hope you enjoy my sweet girl as much as I do!