Cleaning Calendar

Since we've moved and really started to get settled in I've been struggling with how to become better at cleaning/keeping a tidy house. Now, with a newborn this task is even more difficult. We have a lot of stuff that just lays around. I wouldn't say our house is dirty, just cluttered. Don't get me wrong we have some dust, dishes don't always get washed right away, and I could get the floors cleaner, but I don't really think we are dirty. Today I've worked on a "Cleaning Calendar." Putting this together is a task that used to take me 30 minutes and now takes me about 12 hours, another thing that I'm getting used to!

Our Announcement

Bottles, bottles, bottles, oh my!

I didn't really register for bottles because I was going to be a breastfeeding stay at home mom. I didn't see the need. Ugh. Things don't always go as planned. We got a couple different bottles as gifts that we plan to use when Macy is older, but had to buy some for her at this young age.

1st thing I wanted in a bottle: Slow release. Macy is a gulper just like her Mommy, she could suck a regular bottle down within minutes. Needless to say that was not good on her tummy. Many bottles have different nipples that you buy for different stages, the flow is less for newborns as opposed to a baby at 6 months. I wanted something that was as close to breastfeeding as I could get, so the longer it took her to eat the better.

2nd thing I was looking for: Design. As I said in my post about formula design is huge to me. The fewer pieces the better. Also, I want the bottle to have features that could compare to a real boob. That might be nuts for some people, but for me (someone who wanted more than anything to breastfeed) I want my baby to get as close as we could to the real thing. Another factor in design: number of pieces. It could be based on dishes or putting together a bottle at 3 am, but I really prefer those bottles that are simple. 

My favorite bottle is the slowest release and has the nipple that most reflects the real thing and has the fewest pieces. Como Tomo wins my approval and my recommendation! And it comes in pink <insert winky face>.

Tommee Tippee, Avent, and Como Tomo 

I also added in a pic of our tub we got from the hospital, 

I keep it next to the sink, rinse out the used bottles, 

and then wash them when we have acquired more. 

Another factor in our life...bottle washing and night feeding. Whew, it makes me tired just typing about it. We've found two things we really like when it comes to washing. The drying racks. We first bough the grass, it worked well, but we outgrew it quickly. Second we got the stand. Oh man it makes a world of a difference. I definitely recommend it!
Night feedings; Macy is taking a bottle about midnight, 3am, and 6am. That means I have to be prepared for at least 3 bottles over night. Most of the time I stay up until the midnight feeding so that doesn't very often factor in to the overnight bottles. I also usually get up after the 6am feeding, but sometimes I don't and then need the 8am bottle to be in the overnight category. Ok, so I get 3 bottles with 2 oz of water preped along with the formula dispenser. I also get a different brand of bottle with 4 oz and then a small container with formula for that bottle. This helps me in my sleepiness to be able to correctly make the bottles. It is really important to me to use the Avent and Como Tomo bottles overnight because they don't have those extra pieces that I have to worry about. I also keep a bin on the second shelf of my night stand to put the used bottles in after I'm done with them. I know this all might seem crazy, but to me it is life changing! Being prepared helps me sleep better when I get to sleep.

Finding the right Formula

My formula review...

We've tried a few different types of formula Advanced, Sensitive Stomach, and Soy-Based. We've also tried a few brands, Parent's Choice, Similac, and Enfamil. 

Here are my pros and cons:

	Parent's Choice	Similac	Enfamil
Pros:	Price	Used from the beginning	Free Samples
	Design	Did well on her tummy	Smell
			Suggested by others
Cons:	Smell	Price	Price
	Off Brand/doesn't have as many studies and/or reviews		Design

As far as the type goes, I've not seen a lot of consistent differences. They all sometimes work and sometimes don't. One con to the sensitive stomach formula is the first ingredient is corn syrup, no matter the brand anything that is for sensitivity replaces the lactose with corn syrup. Personally, I'd rather not have the corn syrup if possible. 

I'm a sucker for design, no matter the product, if the design is to my liking I am a happy customer. You'll notice in the pictures the scoop is stored differently in the different formulas. The blue container is Parent's Choice and the scoop slides in a little notch above the powder. It doesn't have to fit into the lid with the handle on the left (I'm right handed). With the scoop on the lid I have problems getting it to fit so I end up just tossing it into the powder. That brings me to another issue...if there is no where to put the scoop or it is easier to just toss it into the powder...I have to touch the powder. Ew. I don't like the texture or the smell of the powder in the first place so having to touch it every time is gross to me. 

Lastly, the price. We don't make a lot of money and we'd like to save when we can. There is a pretty big difference in name brand vs. off brand. Go Parent's Choice! Lol. They have the very same ingredients. 

My last option is to try a whole food store and check their price and ingredients to see if we can afford to use a formula that possibly has more natural ingredients. Unfortunately, nothing about formula is "natural." Breast milk is the best option hands down BUT that isn't an option I have so I have to do the best I can

.

Hospital Check List

While I was pregnant I found many hospital check lists. They were all great and I was thankful to have them. I put together what I most needed not because I think it will inspire hundreds of new moms, but I want to be able to remember what I needed most if I ever get the blessed chance to be a pregnant mom again. 

Feeling proud

Today I get to brag on myself. I wouldn't normally devote a post to talking about myself, but I think I owe it to my hard work to do so.

When I found out I was diabetic in October I weighed 209 lbs. An average number for me for the last few years. At my heaviest I weighed 230 lbs, that was about 3 years ago when I was in a really bad place. I had miscarried and was not coping well, I was depressed and I didn't care enough about myself to take interest in my best interest. When the doctor told me I was diabetic she said lose weight and you may never have to use insulin. So, I got to work and right away I lost 7 lbs. I started a pill called Metformin that works similarly to insulin. A month later I found out I was pregnant and the weight loss was not a priority anymore. Now, I needed to maintain. I also had to start insulin because Metformin could be harmful to my baby. Over the next 28 weeks I had to watch everything that I did, how much insulin I took, what I ate, how active I was, etc. I am proud to say that the day I got induced I weighed 234 lbs. I would love to say that number is lower, but considering where I started 25 lbs is a great gain during a pregnancy. Today my baby girl is 12 days old and I weigh 208 lbs. It took me 12 days to lose all of my "baby weight." I didn't work hard to lose that weight, but man oh man I worked hard during my pregnancy to not gain it! I'd like to say after a few more weeks of rest I'll go at losing more weight full steam ahead, but I know myself and know I need to take it one day at a time. My goal: maintain. My hope: lose weight and show Macy how being healthy is our lifestyle.

Macy Abigail

 To continue the belly pics...

A week ago I went to my weekly appointment at the OB to do my biophysical. To my surprise my little girl did not pass her test and the doctor sent us to the hospital to be monitored. After a few hours of keeping track of her heartbeat the doctor said she was looking great, but he was ready to go ahead and induce. After about 11 hours we had our little angel.

Baby Girl was born at 12:18am on June 6, 2013. She was 6 lbs 14 oz and 19 inches long. She had lots of curly brown hair and beautiful!
That following morning around 9am Mike and I decided to place middle names with our options for first names. Cadence Elizabeth and Macy Abigail. Elizabeth is my middle name and MAJ are Mike's initials.
We put them on our board and for fun let people vote, we had Lanie write them and then Grandma and her Aunts wrote them too. Mike and I tried the names when we would talk to her and by the next morning we were sure that our little girl was Macy Abigail.

Holding our Little Lady

Meeting her Cousins

 
On Friday afternoon we headed home with our wonderful Macy. She did great on the ride and she looked adorable! Daddy picked out her jacket, Aunt Jenny and Grandma Connie put her name on her dress, and I got to fix her hair all curly and put a giant flower on her head!

So Blessed!