Friday I went with my parent’s to a local Burlington Coat Factory. With a 3 year old in tow as a parent you know that all those racks are a recipe for toddler fun and parental nervousness. Yeyda made her way between the racks and used them as her personal playground. She was tired, but too wired yet to relax for a few minutes by sitting down with grandpa while he waited for mom and I.

As we were wrapping up our shopping trip mom was trying on a few last coats and Yeyda found her way to the nearest rack she could reach. The bad part was the rack was out of our view. Mom had a plan. She snuck up behind her and pulled her off the rack from her waist. Off course this gave her a chance to shout in fear because it caught her off guard.

Then it was my turn. I asked her if mom had scared her and she said yes. Then I asked her to turn around. I explained that one thing grandma didn’t do was cover her mouth when she grabbed her, but a bad guy or woman would so mommy wouldn’t hear her scream. I reinforced this by demonstrating to her what I meant and that she needed to stay very close to mom and dad and grandma and grandpa when we are out. I don’t know if this will make an impact on future shopping trips but I certainly hope so.

Tags: child abduction, kidnapping, shopping with kids

Kiki is three and a half months.  Lately, in the evenings she has been eating every 90 minutes instead of every 3 to 4  hours like she normally does.   The doctor said to wait until 4 months to start giving her cereal and some baby foods, but I have a feeling I’m going to have to start a little earlier.  She just seems very hungry.

She had gotten to the point that she could sleep 7 to 8 hours  night on a breastfeeding.  Now that she is getting closer to 4 months she is waking up in the middle of the night to eat again.  She has another checkup in a week and I’d like to see if she can hold out for more solid food offerings until then.

Tags: breastfeeding, cereal, food, hungry baby

Being that my babies are the only ones I’ve had the privilege of being around I had never experienced the odiferous nature of a formula fed baby.  Don’t get me wrong a poop filled diaper no matter what it’s origin is pretty darn stinky.   Both my girls were exclusively breast fed for the first four months (save one bottle for my oldest the night we had our accident and our youngest isn’t quite four months yet).  Their BM diapers were orangey yellow and mucousy with a hint of what looked like cottage cheese.  The odor was, is, pungent with a hint of sour milk.  What I smelled the other night was very different.

Every year we attend a commemoration of Christ’s impalement at our local congregation.  Families, friends and Bible studies associated with our congregation usually come.  Last night we had a fine attendance of 199; this is a little more than double what our typical Sunday attendance is.  One of our spiritual sisters brought her fleshly sister’s children to the event.   The youngest, a boy (we’ll call him “Z”), is just two weeks older than Kiki.  I think she said he’ll be four months on Tuesday of next week.

Not five minutes into the special talk Kiki got hungry and Z filled his pants so we headed to the mother’s room to take care of the “problems”.  My friend says to me, “Your going to get a treat.”  I didn’t understand until she opened Z’s diaper.  It was thick, brown and extremely, I mean extremely stinky.  I’d venture to say it smelled worse than my three year old’s BMs and she has been eating solid foods for over 2 years.  I asked her if he was on any solids and she said no, only formula.  OMG!

Since she had to return to the auditorium and the diaper smelled like it should be flushed she left it in the diaper bag and the bag in the mother’s room.  Thanks a lot.  Unfortunately for me I was “blessed” with a very sensitive nose complements of my mother.  Needless to say the smell of the nasty diaper permeated the entire room.  As soon as I had a chance to put Kiki down for a second I pulled out one of my scented diaper disposal bags and put the icky package in it.  It didn’t help the smell that had already come off of it but it did prevent any more wafting of putridity from the poopy deposit.

I’m so glad my baby is breastfed even though it can be an inconvenience at times.

Tags: Breast Feeding, formula, poopy diapers

Saturday Kiki was three months old.  This milestone reminded me of something that happened with Yeyda at around the same age.  At about 3, 3.5 months Yeyda decided to bite me.  It startled me and I gave her a little whack on her diapered bottom which startled her.  Fortunately for me it was only gums and she never tried it again.

Well, Saturday Kiki bit me, hard.  You’d be surprised how painful it feels to have toothless gums clamp down on you.  Location may be the biggest factor - on your arm it’s not so bad, the nipple is another story.  I was a little less surprised this time so my reaction was not so spastic.  Yet she did not stop, cry or look at me in disbelief as Yeyda had.  She looked up and smiled. Uh oh!  She’s going to be one of those :D.

Sunday she did it again, three times.  Once I felt her gumming me and was able  stop her by asking her firmly not to bite.  Since the pat on the tush wasn’t enough to make her stop once she had bitten down I resorted to giving her a little poke in the ribs to distract her from clamping down.

We have noticed, too, that she has been drooly and chewing on her fist. She has a pretty sensitive gag reflex which kept me from getting her a teething pacifier.  I think I’m going to have to give in and get one anyway.  Since Yeyda was teething they’ve come out with a razzberry shaped paci that is good for teething.  I’ve appreciated that she hasn’t been moody or too cranky because of the teething.  I won’t sing “victoria” just yet.

Search for the RazBaby Pacifier from WalMart.com.

Tags: biting, pacifiers, teething, teething tools

• Awesome handspun newspaper yarn idea http://www.thebestofdiy.com/ (via @addthis) #
• @mommieswithcent Go to Mommies With Cents to enter for a chance to win a Skyoozmee Burp Cloth http://tinyurl.com/dbv5c6 #
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Tags: twitter

Any attentive mother and  father knows that having an infant is a messy ordeal.  From the very beginning whether it’s poop coming out of the diaper or burps coming out of their mouth you are almost certain to get something yucky on yourself.  The tough thing is that not only do you have to change their clothes, but your own as well many times.

For instance, this past Saturday my family had plans to go to an assembly in Lansing, MI and we had to dress up nice.  This is not always easy to do when you are nursing an infant.  I wanted to buy a nice blouse that would be easy and pretty to wear under my new black blazer, but that didn’t happen.  When I got home Friday night I went to pick out a T-shirt that didn’t look to grody and noticed that all my T-shirts came out of the wash still having baby spit stains on them.  I was exhausted, but I had to re-treat the stains and wash and dry the shirts before I went to bed.  Thankfully the stains came out and I was able to pick out a nice red one to wear.

I tried to be super careful, but then it came time to feed and burp the baby.  Next thing DH knew I was wearing a pink shirt with my blazer and we were 10 minutes later.  Oh, if only I had a larger burp rag.

The people from Skyoozmee have provided a fashionable solution to this dilemma.  Their burp cloth covers both shoulders, the chest and back and has a velcro closure.  It’s almost like a bib for adults :D.  They offer the burp bib in feminine and masculine designs - don’t want to leave dad out!

Our friends at Mommies With Cents are offering a giveaway of one Skyoozmee burp cloth.  Please visit their blog to read their review and enter the contest before 11:59 PM on April 2, 2009 for a chance to win.

Tags: baby burps, burp cloths, keeping clean

Like I’ve mentioned before Yeyda is a great helper.  She loves to take the dirty diapers to the trash, get me clean diapers and wetwipes and talk to her sister when she is lonely.  Last Tuesday she surprised me with her proactive attitude towards helping me.  She had said that she was sleepy and wanted to go back to bed, but then I heard her talking and I thought it was too herself.

I went looking for her and found her in my bed sitting next to the baby “reading” her a story.  I asked her if the baby was OK and she said, “Yes, she’s OK she’s not fussy.”  I took a peak and Kiki was happily watching and listening to her sister and sucking on her fist.

Then yesterday morning I showed her how I was giving the baby sips of water with a bottle to help get rid of hiccups.  There was some Gripe Water in the mix too to help regulate her digestion again.  That afternoon I took the baby with me to Yeyda’s room and set her on the bed so I could keep her company while I helped Yeyda clean up her room.  At one point I had to go to the restroom when I heard the baby start fussing and then stop.  I asked Yeyda if she was OK and she told me that the baby had had the hiccups and she gave her water and now they were gone.  This concerned me a little, but she assured me she was gentle with Kiki and the she hadn’t choked on the water.  When I got back to the room Kiki was no longer fussy and just happy to see us again.

Tags: little helper, siblings

Thursday and Friday the girls and I were with my parents.  DH and the guys from work had to go to Chicago and they spent the night Wednesday at my parents’ house since it’s close to the toll road.  It was nice because I didn’t have to stay home alone without a car for those two days.  They ended up staying Thursday night too because they took advantage of the fact they were in Chicago and did some sight seeing and didn’t get back until very, very late.

Thursday Dad took us to the local outlets so I could return some items to the Children’s Place outlet and shop for shoes.  I found some nice clothes for Kiki and Yeyda with the money I got back.  We ended up going to a Burlington Coat Factory about 60 miles south of there later in the evening.  We figured we were already that far west from the house and the highway was right there to take us south so we took advantage of the free evening we had.  By the time we got to town it was after 7PM and we were hungry.  Dad has been on a tight budget and I didn’t have much cash on me either so we just went to Steak N’ Shake.  I had a double steakburger with cheese and all the toppings with a side of fries.  It was one of there $4 meal deals.  I don’t get it that often so it was kind of a treat.  Yeyda had a burger and shared her fries with us all - begrudgingly :).

The next morning poor Kiki was not in a good mood.  She was gassy and cranky and pooped out her diaper.   This was the second one in 12 hours that she had shoot out the back or sides.  I wondered what was the matter.  It didn’t dawn on me til later what it could be.

We were trying to coordinate how the girls and I were going to get home since DH took the car to get to work.  He had originally planned to go with my brother and leave me the car, but since they had gotten back so late and bro had to get ready to leave on a cross country trip he didn’t go to work.  So, DH left us with mom and dad since they said they were going to head that direction later to go to the Social Security office to find out about retirement options.

It was well into the afternoon when we got to town and our brunch was wearing off.  I dropped off my parents and took their car to get some food.  I got a spicy chicken sandwich with all the toppings (I always have to be specific when I order because otherwise they only give me lettuce, tomato, and mayo if I just ask for everything) and a side of fries.  Then I took the car back to the Social Security office and waited in the parking lot for my parents to finish and come out.  I was so hungry I wolfed down the food and not a moment too soon.  My parents came walking down the sidewalk just as I took my last bite.

They were hungry now too and went to Taco Bell and got some quesadillas, 5 layer nachos and tacos.  When they brought the bags of food into the car the smell was rather offensive.  I commented, ” No offense, but your food smells like a baby’s dirty diaper.” Still I hadn’t put two and two together.

When we got to the office to pick up my car I decided I’d better get Kiki out of her carseat to let her stretch and to check her diaper.  She was more interested in eating first so I nursed her and then laid her on the table in the breakroom so she could kick.  Well, the kicking got things moving and she filled, really over filled, her diaper.   When I opened it up it had shot out the back and the sides soiling her little outfit.  I said to mom that it smelled like fast food, something I’d never noticed before.  She came and stood by me and was appalled by the similarity of the odor to fast food.  Kiki’s BM was also very loose, mucousy and foamy.  This was very unusual for her.

Today, Saturday, we had an assembly 2.5 hours away to attend so I dressed the girls accordingly.  Knowing there was the potential for Kiki to blow out her diaper again I put her in a one piece jammy under her little dress.  As soon as we got there she wanted to eat so I took her to the mother’s room and fed her.  She emptied one breast and then emptied her bowels.  The foamy stuff shot out the back of the diaper with such force it went almost to her neck.  Thank goodness I was prepared or I would have gotten it all over me too.  I immediately removed the little dress and the bloomers from her before they got stained, laid paper towels down on the changing mat and got her naked.  What a mess!  I had poop everywhere.  I had to rinse her in the sink and clean the changing mat with soap and water.  I was a little hesitant about getting her dressed right away since she could fill up again so while I hand washed her jammys I left her strapped on the changing pad on top of a couple layers of paper towels.  I filled the little scented diaper disposal bag to the brim with paper towels and diaper and did my best to scrub all the poop out of her clothes.   It still smelled like fast food. Bleh!

Just one meal a day for the past two days of fast food for me was enough to throw her little digestive system into a tailspin.  I knew there were foods that would make her gassy like beans, broccoli, onions and cauliflower, but I always take enzymes to ameliorate their effect on me and her. If this doesn’t tell you how bad fast food is for us, I don’t know what will.

Tags: baby bowel movements, breastfeeding, diet, fast food, nursing

For weeks Kiki has been sucking on her thumbs and fingers for comfort.  Today though I think she has discovered, really discovered, her hands. Mom was in the back seat with her and Yeyda while dad drove us to the local outlets.  She was trying to keep Kiki entertained when she noticed how intently she was watching her hands.  Mom dangled her binkie from the tether just out of her reach and Kiki reached for it.

It is so fun to watch her go cross-eyed when she is examining her hands.  She’ll clutch her hands together in front of her.   She’ll open and shut her little fists one finger at a time.  The way she purses her lips and the furrow of her brow when she is exercising her hands makes me smile.

Tags: baby, Development, discovering hands

When Kiki was just a few weeks old I noticed something strange in her little breasts.  Her right one especially was swollen and hard as a rock.  The little boobie was easy to move under the skin and had me in a panic.  I almost started crying and then I remembered I have access to a whole world on information on the computer!

I searched on Google for “lumps in babies breasts” and was pleasantly surprised by the number of results.  Thankfully, after viewing many sites - some medical, some personal in nature- I found out that the lumps were nothing to be worried about.  This phenomenon happens in girls and boys after birth as a response to the mother’s hormones.  The articles mentioned that this could cycle (swell and then go down) for up to a year before it goes away.  It was made very clear not to panic and that it was not indicative of cancer.  It was also made clear NOT TO SQUEEZE the little swollen breast as it could cause pain and bruising for the baby.

Kiki had a doctor’s appointment in a couple of weeks so I figured I would let it go until then.  When I mentioned it to the doctor the swelling had mostly gone away.  She did confirm everything I had read and since there were no other strange symptoms she did not feel the need to pursue the matter further. Now Kiki’s boobies are back to baby normal and I an feeling much better.

Tags: cancer, hormonal changes, lumps