A Story of a Well-fed Baby

Motherhood is rough, ya'll. It's the best part about my life by far, but the most difficult as well. And I know I am not alone in thinking that. And since I know exactly how tough it can be, I do my best to not judge other's methods of parenting their own children. I think for most of us, we are just doing the best we can. And that is especially true when it comes to how we feed our children.

When Luna was first born I had only weaned Jack about six months prior. I was one of those "weirdo" moms who took part in "extended" breastfeeding with him (he was 2.5) and I have zero regrets. However, I did have my share of struggles in feeding my first born, so when Luna came into the picture, I was worried she would have some of the similar issues her brother faced.

It was those issues that almost made me give up breastfeeding for good when Jack was an infant. It was difficult to push past the shallow latch (used a nipple shield for three months), countless bouts of thrush for both me and him, colic and reflux brought on by my oversupply and overactive letdown and not to mention the fact that I could not eat dairy in significant amounts for several years. All of that added to me having to pump three times a day, five days a week while at work. It was enough to drive any mom crazy. But I was determined to keep going for many reasons:

• Emotionally, breastfeeding really helped balance my mood and hormones. I felt better mentally than I had in years because while breastfeeding, your body gives off extra doses of Oxytocin to help you bond to your baby. And I'll admit, I love that time I get with Luna. Since she's my second baby, she doesn't get as much one on one with me as we'd like so nursing times when it's just the two of us are really special. 

• Also, weight loss. I lost a significant amount of weight while I was breastfeeding Jack. I was 160 when I got pregnant with him, went up to about 180 during pregnancy and then I got down to 130 after having him. Fortunately I seem to be headed in a similar weight loss trajectory this time around as well. I don't work out and I don't eat exceptionally healthy, but breastfeeding seems to be helping me lose the weight anyway. 

• It's cheap. As in inexpensive. (Minus the costs associated with pumping.) I feel so fortunate to have lucked out with an abundant supply. While it's caused issues having so much milk production, my supply has regulated well with Luna and she gets just the right amount she needs to chunk up nicely. :) 

We have started introducing a few solids with Luna.

 

(The carrots are mostly just for teething lol) 

I know some people start a little earlier with their babies and some wait until the 6 month mark or later. I started based on her signs of interest and readiness which hit around 5 months. She gets super angry (hangry?) when we eat in front of her now. So we started giving her small tastes of things that we were already eating.

Other signs of readiness included:

• Sitting unassisted (if babies can do this before they begin solids it helps decrease their choking risks)
• Teeth (obviously they can chew better if there are a few teeth to help them gum through the food.) 
• Interest in food. As I mentioned above, your baby will let you know when they are looking to expand their palate. 

However, while Luna has all of the above, she appears to still have quite the tongue thrust reflex so she can't really chew and swallow much. We do a few purees here and there but she's mostly still exclusively breast fed. I think in the next month or so, she'll start chowing down on solids. Honestly, I am fine with that. Breastfeeding is much easier. Ha.

Going into motherhood, I have learned so much. I've said this before on my blog and I will say it again, motherhood is such a personal experience. We are all different, from vast walks of life, have been raised differently, have learned varying ways to approach parenting and we all take that information and backgrounds and put forth into how we raise our kids. Who are also all very different. That is why I would never venture to say a parent is doing something wrong just because it is not how I choose to do it based on what works for our family.

As long as I don't see signs of neglect or abuse, I really have no business judging how another parent cares for their child. We all are just doing our best. Whether our kids are formula fed, breastfed for a short amount of time or a long time,  as long as they are fed and well-care for, that is all that matters.

For those interested in learning more about various feeding options for your baby, a great resource is the Honest Company's website where you can find out more about what is available and is best for your baby.

Friday Favorites: photo edition

Hey guys!! It's Friday again! In the effort of trying to get back into regular blogging again, I'm revisiting the weekly Friday Favorites post! But because I'm still crazy busy trying to unpack my house, I don't have anything very cool to share. So here's my five fave photos of the week! 

 

 

 

 

 

TGIF, ya'll!! Have a great weekend! 

Life lately...

Wow! It sure has been a minute since I posted! As most of you know, we moved at the beginning of the month from Southern Utah to northern Utah. It's been a huge adjustment for all of us, but we're stoked to finally be living as a family all together again! We love our new house. It's just a rental, so we'll start house shopping again here in a few months but we're starting to get an idea on where exactly we want to buy. 

So to catch you all up, here's our life over the last couple weeks: 

On Oct. 2, I cried like a baby as we said goodbye to our first home. So bittersweet. 

 Daniel had gone the day before to drive the budget truck while I stayed back with my parents and the kids to clean the house. Whew. That was intense. But then we loaded up the kids and took off Sunday night. 

 But because we got a late start and the wind was blowing like crazy AND Luna saw fit to scream cry for an hour straight, we stopped half way and got a couple motel rooms. That was kind of a fun adventure for the kids. 

 Monday morning we finally got to our new house!! It was actually my first time seeing it in person! 

 It's so cute! Once we're finally all unpacked and have the house decorated, I'll do a walk-through post. 

It's part of an HOA, so the entire neighborhood is kind of like this little community and there is a playground/park right in our front yard. Jack loves it, of course. 

 

 

Then we took on the massive task of unpacking. We are almost three weeks in and still working on it but we're getting there! Thankfully my parents stayed for a couple days and my mom basically set up our entire kitchen. Life saver!! Thanks, ma! 

 

Amidst all the crazy over the past couple weeks, month four has been a big one for Miss Luna! She's learning all kinds of skills. She loves getting and giving kisses! 

 

She can stand with little assistance. 

 

And she sits unassisted without falling or tipping over! She can sit like that for a good 10 minutes before she gets tired. But she never actually falls. 

 

 

We got visits from the Aunt Nicki and Aunt Nicolle. 

 

And Grandma Christy and Papa West. We also went over to Dan's sister Genelle's house and got to hang out with them and baby Donevin, who is only two months old, I might add. And yeah, as big as Luna. Lol. 

 

We got a new washer/dryer set. Speed Queen, our first brand new set and Daniel's new pride and joy. :P 

 

But mostly, I've just been hanging with the cutest kids around and unpacking lots and lots of boxes. 

 

This kid had a blast shopping at IKEA. 

 And seriously, could this baby get any cuter?? 

 

I am so glad we finally feel a little more settled. I miss our first home, but I'm excited for what the future has in store. <3 

Jack Update

For those of you who are still counting (aka me. although I think I am starting to finally lose count) Jack Bean is officially 27 months old. I'm totally #sorrynotsorry about this but I need to brag on my kid a little so that's what this post (entire blog? lol!) is all about.

He's so smart it scares me sometimes. Scares me because I worry I am not doing enough to foster his potential. I sound like a pretentious jerk I'm sure, but I also am just a parent who wants the best for her child. I worry sometimes that my lazy days where I park him in front of Little Einsteins on the iPad for an hour so I can get caught up on my most recent episode of iZombie could be causing some sort of delay. The mama guilt....

But really, I think it's fine. Or at least that is what I tell myself so I can sleep at night. lol. By the end of a couple several episodes of Team UmiZoomi or his most recent favorite: Little Einsteins aka "Rocket Ship Show,"  he is already talking about something new he's learned or some adventure he wants to go on. So then we go outside and pretend to hike to the stop of a pyramid to see the great sphinx or row our boat to the Golden Gate Bridge. It's pretty fun.

All in moderation, right?

iPad time :) 

Really, I just want to make sure I am helping Jack learn and I guess the best way to do that is through play. I mean, he's two. I just love watching him learn and grow. It's fascinating to see. I haven't really ever had the desire to become a professional educator, but being around a toddler with this giant sponge of a mind does make me think it is probably so cool for teachers to watch their students learn and master new concepts.

Mostly I just love this stage of the funny stuff he says. I post probably one funny thing everyday or so to Facebook to share with family and friends, but there are lots more I don't share because I am probably already way oversharing as it is, or what he says is completely inappropriate/gross (did you kids are gross?! LOL)

Plus, I also recognize I'm not the only parent out there who thinks her kid is the coolest thing since sliced bread.

Some of our recent conversations:

Me: "Do you really still need that paci, Jack?"
Jack: "Yes, mommy. I need my paci."
Me: "But big boys don't use paci's and you're a big boy now."
Jack:*Tosses his hands out to the side.* "Of course big boys need a paci's!"

There was definitely an implied "duh" and an eye roll that followed that statement. #toddlerattitude

Another one...

Me: "Jack, how far away is the moon?"
J: "It's way too far away. We need a rocket ship to get to that moon."
Me: "Oh? Where can we find a rocket ship?"
J: "We find one if we become astronauts. I be a tiny astronaut and you be a big astronaut, mommy!"

Problem solved.

And on Tuesday when it was #NationalBestFriendDay, I told Jack:

"Happy Best Friend's Day, Jack!"
Jack: "You my best friend too, mama! I WUV you!" *hug*

The sweetest...:)

And one gross one just because it was really funny.

Jack: "I pooped lots of them poops!" 

So proud, son.

He can count to 30 still and recognizes numbers all the way up to 20. He knows all his shapes, colors and animals like the back of his hand. He's really picking up on identifying letters now too. He's definitely always shown more of an interest in numbers and shapes than in comparison to letters though, which is interesting and the complete opposite of me. (probably a good thing. ha.) Maybe one day he'll become a mathematician. :)

Despite the fact that Jack is a little smartie pants, he is still just a two year old, which means we have our tough days too. He's generally in pretty good spirits and is mindful unless he's tired or hungry or teething or didn't get a good nap or woke up on the wrong side of the bed or someone told him no... You know, all the things that make toddlers angry. hahaha.

Potty training is not awesome. I We just really aren't in the mood. Sounds lazy? Yes, But we also have some major projects/travel going on right now and I am perfectly fine paying a little bit longer to buy diapers/wash cloth diapers until we are both ready to potty train. Jack is ready, but I'm sure not. lol.

I was going through my phone in anticipation of doing this blog post to see if I had any worthy pics of late, but I am taking fewer and fewer pics. It's just so difficult to catch him actually sitting. He's always going and going and playing and learning and it's awesome, but definitely tough to catch with the camera. Blurry photos are the name of the game for sure.

He's still my skinny man with only 27 pounds on him. I actually just found a picture from his nine month well check and he was 19 pounds! He's only gained 8 pounds in the past 18 months!! What?! He is eating better though so that is nice. He's almost weaned from nursing entirely as well. He's finally fitting better into his 2T clothes, but still wears a lot of 24 months. The length on the 2T stuff fits great, it's just too big around the waist. He's about 37 ish inches? I need to double check. ha.

Favorite foods:

*Chicken
*Popcorn
*Celery and peanut butter
*Most fruits
*Watermelon being the most favorite right now.
*Carrots
*Bell peppers
*And Ramen noodles....(we don't do that one much, but he still loves it.)

He has not yet weaned from that paci though (see above mentioned convo)... I know. I need to be more firm, but right now it's not causing a lot of issues, so I am not too worried about it. I think after our trip coming up, I am going to get more serious about it. lol.

A friend and I were just talking the other day about how it is so easy to see a child's personality from a young age and Jack's personality is definitely out there already. I'm interested to see how it changes as he gets older, or if he stays similar to how he is now.

*He's loyal, loves his friends and family. Has his "favorites" for sure.

*He is inquisitive. Always asking me questions about how things work, why things happen the way they do, etc.

*He's all about problem solving. "We have a big problem! I need ___ to fix ___" is a statement I hear A LOT.

*He is sweet. He knows when he hurts me (intentionally or accidentally) and is quick to apologize. He constantly tells people thank you and please without me having to prompt him. He's also started asking me if I'm okay. "You okay, mommy? You sad? You happy?" It's really cute.

*He is sensitive. He gets his feelings hurt really easily.

*He's bossy. Oh boy, is he bossy. "Sit right there, mommy! Not there! There!" omg....

*But at the same time he is pretty laid back. He goes with the flow. He might really think we need to go to the park, but if we can't for whatever reason, he's usually pretty good about accepting a walk around the block or playing in the backyard as a substitute activity.

*He doesn't like being upset. If he gets mad or angry or hurt for whatever reason, he has a small cry about it and then gets over it. He's been like that since he was a baby. One time I remember he hit his head really hard on this trunk I have and he only cried for a few minutes so I didn't think he bonked very hard but a day or so later, there was a huge bump and bruise!

*He's funny. He loves making jokes. He thinks the most random things are funny and loves to giggle. I'll have to post a video of that giggle. Cracks me up.

*He's finally sleeping through the night all of the time... there is occasionally like one night a week maybe that he will wake once, but it's brief and he goes right back to sleep. (out of the times that he awakes enough for me to notice I guess. I think we all tend to wake slightly during our sleep cycles.) He's still in our bed though, so once we get past certain major life events coming up, we are planning on doing the full on transition into his own bed. Getting there...baby toddler steps! haha. He's doing so much better with naps! He will actually ask to go "nigh night" during the day once he's tired. Yay!

This is my wake up view <3

Napping like a boss.

Everyone keeps asking me if we are experiencing the "terrible twos" yes? and like I mentioned above, there are definitely some days that are filled with more whining and crying than I'd like.

All the pouts.

But for the most part Jack is so good. He really is a good soul and I am so lucky to be his mama. (Please remind me I said all this when he turns 3...I hear that is the real struggle age.)

Hope you all are enjoying these updates. I really do appreciate having such awesome family and friends that are supportive of my family and encourage my constant over share of my kid. ha!

It's mostly just fun to get to share this learning journey about parenthood with all of you, and to have a fun way to be able to look back on all of this later. I just know that I am one lucky mama. :)

Balance

If I had one million dollars to bet, I would bet that every single parent has dealt with the issue of balance at one point in time always during their time in parenthood.

I'm struggling. I am struggling to make sure I can do all that I have to do. Often, I get everything done with the sacrifice of myself and my own personal time. I make time for work. I make time for Jack. I make time for my husband (at least I try), but rarely do I take time for me.

There are times when I have seriously felt guilty over taking a shower every day. Seriously. True story. How does that even make sense?! Since when is personal hygiene a luxury?? But I bet there are some of you out there who can relate.

I feel guilty for working out. Exercise, people! That gets pushed so far down on my list of priorities. It's really disheartening.

There are some nights when I get home from work and all I want to do is curl up with a book or watch the latest episode of the Bachelorette (hello, guilty pleasure!) but normally those desires are pushed to the wayside in order to accommodate keeping a clean house, feeding animals, and taking care of a needy toddler.

I'm tired. Hell, I'm beyond tired. Tired is what I used to think I was after I would stay up too late at night reading when I had school the next day.

I'm freaking exhausted. And I only have ONE kid! How do you people do it, fellow parents? I'd love to hear your words of wisdom here. I'm so burnt out.

Thankfully we are going on a short trip next weekend and I am beyond excited. It'll be a lot of work still, but so fun to get away and go on an adventure for a few days.

In the meantime I am going to keep going to bed early and drinking copious amounts of coffee.

Saw this on FB yesterday and it fit me perfectly :)

Weekend recap!

Never mind the fact that it is now Tursday and I'm just barely recapping my weekend :)

Do you ever have those weekends that are just super relaxing and productive all at once? Well, I had one of those and it was UH-Mazing. Saturday we went over to my in-law's house to play in their new pool.

Jack is such a water baby! My goal is to have him swimming by the end of the summer. I am looking to get him in swim classes now. I actually have a pretty significant fear of the water and of drowning. I love to swim, but had a close call in a lake as a teen and I want to be really careful not to push that anxiety on to Jack. So I feel like if I know he has a good grasp of water safety, then I will feel less anxious the entire time he's in the pool.

The sun was in his eyes. Lol. 

It was really fun though! Lots of family including the newest addition - our brother in law and his wife's new baby Kinley. She's such a doll. I didn't get pics of this because my stupid phone died but Jack wanted to give her kisses and kept being astonished at how tiny she was! "Mommy her fingers are tiny!" Melted my heart!

Jack and his cousin Carter, 5. He was so good to Jack. :) 

Austin, Jack and Carter.

Sunday was fun too, but more productive in terms of cleaning house, doing laundry and grocery shopping.

We had a brief scare at the store when we realized 3/4s of the way home that someone *cough...Daniel...cough* forgot my new Coach bag and ALL of the my life tools in the shopping cart. Thank GOD there are still honest people out there though because someone returned it to the lost and found. Whew!

On the way back to the store Jack says, "We have to save mommy's purse!" LOL.

All in all it worked out.

Oh, and we are also starting potty training. Jack is ready. I'm not. At all. But here we go! More posts on that to come! 

How was your weekend? Hope it was just as good/eventful as mine. Hope you all have a great week!

Car Seat Safety

I am going to preface this post with the caveat that I am NOT a car seat technician or expert or even someone who has done a ton of research on the expert. But I am starting to do more and more because the topic of safety for my child is of the utmost importance for me, as it is for most parents.

Jack is quickly approaching 2 (check back soon for 23 month update!) and according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is safest to keep your child rear facing in their car seat until they are 2. However, you can continue with extended rear facing until you meet the height and weight requirement. I am contemplating doing this with Jack, but I'll admit, I look forward to being able to actually look at him in my rear view mirror while I am driving.

We use this car seat, which makes it possible for him to stay rear facing for while yet.

According to most of the research I've done, rear facing as long as you can is the safest for your child, and despite Jack being tall for his age, he's been perfectly content still rear facing.

Plus, reading this article and watching the videos in this article makes it pretty convincing to keep him rear facing.

What do you do with your child? Any recommendations either way and why? I'd love to get your thoughts!

20 Month Update

I know I promised a next-day post on Tuesday, but this week seriously got away from me. Even still, here I am only five days after the fact, getting Jack's 20 month update here on the blog. And just an FYI, once he hits two I'll probably stop doing monthly updates. But for now, he still is developing so much month to month so I like being able to talk about what new stuff he's doing and learning.

Here's what 20 months looks like in the life of Jack Finn:

Weight: around 25 lbs - ish

Length: no idea, ha! Tall?

Other updates:

Jack got his first real full-on big boy hair cut this last month. And now, he looks a LOT less like my baby. I kinda like that he still uses a pacifier and wears diapers because it reminds me he's not a BIG, big boy yet. 

But based on his vocabulary skills and other smarts, it's tough to tell. He's speaking in full-on sentences now. Even with his paci in his mouth, he gets the words out. 

Just a few tidbits from the past couple weeks:

The other day I was getting dressed and I put on this shirt and Jack says: 

"Nice shirt! Mommy is cute." bahaha

Then yesterday I am doing the dishes - obviously not paying well-enough attention to Jack, so he tells me, "Mommy, back here, right now! Pwease." hahah. At least he was polite in his demands. 

He talks in third-person a lot calling him self Jack Bean, which has been my nickname for him since he was itty bitty. Yesterday my parents arrived for their visit and he was so excited to see them that when they were coming to the door he ran from the kitchen to the living room and told himself, "Go, Jack Bean!" It was super cute and funny. 

His ability to form sentences is just astounding to me for his age. I know, this has seriously turned into a blog where I brag about my son's language skills, but I am a proud mama and I have to share.

The other day we were watching Dora the Explorer and he says, "Look! Dora is going to wake up the sleepy sun." 

Not even kidding, he said that. 

Counting... he used to be really into counting. I think I mentioned last time he was counting up to 15. But lately he really only wants to count to 4. I know he can go higher, but I don't push it. He's been like this with words too. In fact, one of his first words was Newton - the name of our dog. But now he calls him Tuny. lol, I have no idea why especially since he used to say it correctly. But that's fine. I just love watching him learn and progress at his own rate. 

Other cutes:

Loves calling Grammy on the phone. "Hello (sounds like Hey-o), Grammy. It's Jack Bean." LOL.

Anytime he picks up a pen or something kind of long he points it at you and says, "presto!" 

He's pretty bossy with the animals. Yesterday we were outside and he kept yelling at Newton: "tuny, back here! Come here!" 

He LOVES building forts with daddy. 

He dances to all the songs. Loves Itsy Bitsy Spider. 

His favorite outside game is "bisbee" aka Frisbee. 

He loves going on walks sans stroller. I blame Halloween. 

He's obsessed with anything flying in the sky. "Copter! Flying in the sky!"

Watching "Pwanes" (planes.)

He is getting pretty good at jumping.

He likes to "help" with laundry. Lol

 

He also is very interactive with shows and games. He loves playing the "melmo game" on my iPad. I have two Sesame Street, Elmo games. They are so perfect for him. 

Melmo time. Lol

He really only likes shows that are interactive - asks the kids to help find something or how much or something. 

If the show's characters ask for help, Jack always says, "of course!" It's so funny.

He's getting sooo good at his colors. He's right probably about 65 percent of the time. He also knows pretty much all your basic, farm, domestic and jungle animals. lol. He still has his shapes memorized.

He's also started memorizing books and will recite the words as I am saying them. That really took me by surprise. It started with "Chick Chicka Boom Boom," but we also have this bug book he loves. The last line is "Do you see me?" and as I was reading it, he totally said it almost before I even read it. Crazy kid. 

He's starting to show an interest in the potty, but I'm not pushing that. I got him his own, but just so he can use the next few months to get used to the idea. I'm really not looking forward to potty training. Oiy. Paci use is still high these days. No idea how I'm going to tackle that. The more I think about doing it, the more attached he seems. 

He's sleeping about half the night in his bed and half the night in ours. It works for us for now. I'm terribly sad about it, but he's really not into babywearing anymore. I am so bummed because I loved it, but he's just getting to independent. Guess I'll pack them away for baby #2 for now. No, not pregnant. lol. 

Anyway, I guess that is enough bragging on my kid for today. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!

P.S. I didn't promote my last post, but seriously if you ladies out there are as obsessed as I am about the dark lip colors this season, check out this post. 

Dear teething.

Editor's note:
 
We interrupt my previously-scheduled post to run on Jack's Seven-month update to address a larger issue in this letter.

Dear Teething,

You are a big jerk. You have become my arch nemesis. I understand you are just doing your job. You are just trying to ensure that my son has all of his teeth so he will no longer choke on food, can enjoy eating and look like a big boy, but could you be a little less painful?

Spending an hour rocking a crying baby, who is clearly in enormous pain, back to sleep during the witching hour is not my (or his) idea of a good time.

So, seriously, could you ease up a little?

Sincerely,

A very angry and sleep-deprived mama

Melon Days and a road trip

If you aren't from my home town you may not appreciate the wonder of a home-town festival like Melon Days quite as much as I do. Melon Days is like homecoming. Old friends and family members return to the sleepy little town for a slice of watermelon and a little bit of heaven.

It was great traveling back home to see my family and old friends. Jack even got to make some new ones! 

Jack with Grammy and baby Toryn, 5 months. He's only one month behind Javk but so much lighter!! I have a dense kid. 

Melon!!

Jack asleep through his first parade including helicopters, sirens and a marching band. 

My beautiful little sis and I at the parade! 

Rusty, grandpa and my mom at the parade.

Dan and my Uncle Jerry. Flattering shot, right? 

Jack and Grammy at the park. 

Dan and jack trying out the new 

Mei Tei carrier while at my parent's house. He likes it :) 

It was a fun weekend that came to a close too quickly. Jack and daddy on our stop at Arby's on the way back home. 

Chillaxing.

It was a good trip and for the most part Jack did great and slept during most of the four-trip both ways. On the way home we had to pull off a couple times to get him calmed down though. He was over it. 

Can't wait until we can take our next trip!

Readers, how do your little ones do whole traveling? Any tricks for keeping a wee babe entertained?