Loved... and why I'm content to wait this baby out

I am so loved.  And so in love!

I've debated posting on this topic in the last few days because each time I start, my heart is so full... my feelings so personal... I just don't want to share it. 

Even now, having decided to just do it, I keep changing what I'm willing to type.  Keeping what is so precious to myself. 

Suffice it to say, such special days and nights with My Beloved leave me not quite ready for this little one (due tomorrow) to come yet.  I'm not ready to give up the evenings of game playing, long talks, just sitting together. 

And when he comes home from a late night grocery run with these... I know he feels the same way.

That just makes my heart smile.

Labels: As it happens..., Getting Ready for Baby, Prince Charming, Reflections

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 1:50 PM 0 Comments

Busy hands help to pass the time

But I can't just do nothing... so I'm reading to the kids, napping, and picking at a few little projects. 

 One of those "little" projects is this cute hat.  I'd had the actual beanie finished for a few weeks, but I wanted to add some embellishments.  It is, after all, a girl.  So we needed to add some pink... and a flower.  And if you have a flower, and you can find instructions... it really should have a couple leaves too.

Don't you think? 

I finally got a few pictures taken today, so I wanted to share them. 

Now I just hope it fits her. :)

Labels: As it happens..., Getting Ready for Baby, With These Hands

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 3:31 PM 3 Comments

I'm SO ready...

...to use these!

Have you seen these??? 

I designed them back before Sweet Pea was born... and then made some boy ones when I was expecting Little Man. 

They have helped tremendously with each newborn (I used a boring version with Tornado, so I've done this three times and what a blessing!)

They help keep track of feedings, as well as wet and poopy diapers so us breastfeeding mamas can keep track of whether those babies are getting enough to eat!  Does anyone else worry about this... every. time.?

Here's a little sample of how I use them...


If you bottle feed, just put the number of ounces in the "feedings" boxes instead of the "R" and "L".  Works the same... though the colors of poop your looking for may be different on that first week.  I don't really know how that works with formula.  Sorry!


If you want them yourself, just click below and you can download your own!!

         

Oh, one more little tip... the boxes that are colored in are the minimums as are recommended in the book Babywise.  Definitely talk to your doctor about what your baby should be doing!



I'd love to know if you use them!!!

Labels: Getting Ready for Baby, Pregnancy

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 3:30 PM 0 Comments

This weeks plans

When the weather is nice, we try to spend as much time outside as possible!

Just today I've implemented a new schedule.  A much looser and hopefully more forgiving one than those I've attempted over the last couple months.  It's my hope that I'll get to the house, the homeschooling and the projects without the stress and failure.  Hmmm... we'll see. :)  And I've deliberately made it so that baby's feedings should fit right in once she's here and we've normalized a bit. 

Most of today has been behind.  It all came from not starting the week fresh.  Nope... instead the day started with a mound of laundry on the couch and dishes in the sink.  But I'm not letting it get me down.  I trudge forward.  (You?)

My girl's treasures!

We missed much of our inside play time and abridged our outside play significantly (but we did go outside!!!)  This is the hour I've scheduled for our "discovery" play time (one of these days I'll post our updated and more realistic schooling goals for this year.)  We did get to our Disciplined Learning at the table and did most of what I'd hoped, but this was running behind too.

Lunch... late.  But don't worry, nap time was right on schedule.  At least close enough for me.  And now it's quiet in the house (mostly).  Though I did get the beans on, they're running a bit late.  And the bread didn't get made... again.  Oh well.  Maybe tomorrow!

On the plus side?  I have 5 meals in the freezer for after baby comes (most of them made last week!)  My sewing machine is all better, so I've been making progress on the sewing front. 

Baby Shower gift this weekend!

I love how it turned out!

• Monday:  Ranch Beans (x2 for the freezer!)
• Tuesday:  Easy Lasagna  (divided to put half in the freezer!), garlic bread, and salad
• Wednesday:  Saucy Broccoli Chicken Bake (x2 for the freezer!) with Cheese Bread (divided to put half in the freezer!) and salad
• Thursday:  Tacos (1.5 pounds meat divided into thirds... 2 portions for freezer), refried beans (+ some for the freezer!)
• Friday:  Chicken Pot Pie (x2 for freezer)
• Saturday:  Cheesy Chicken Vermicelli, salad, texas toast

This is a very assuming menu, I know.  Should I fail to make something on a given night, it's bump to next week.  And hopefully by then, it'll all be in the freezer!!!


Other plans this week include working on Sweet Pea's quilt (the piecing of the top is completed, I just have the boarder [with some applique] left to do before sandwiching and quilting!), My Beloved's quilt (I'll pick at this one in between others), and starting to look at Sweet Pea's spring/summer wardrobe needs.


Do you have any special plans this week???

Labels: Getting Ready for Baby, In the Kitchen, Keeping My Home

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 2:42 PM 0 Comments

My Dream Diaper

Ok... so first you have to know that this is based entirely on recommendation and review reading. I have no personal knowledge of this product. I do however... want some!! (And if I get any, I'll let you know what I think!) My understanding, though, is that it works a lot like disposable as far as the putting on and off! I can work with a diaper like that! :)


The Fuzzibunz One Size All in one diaper, not necessarily in this color, but whatever is fine, is my choice of cloth diapers! I would love to have a small handful of these!

Ultimately, this...

Labels: Getting Ready for Baby

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 8:45 AM 1 Comments

Preschool Corner: Getting Ready for Baby

Labels: Getting Ready for Baby, Preschool Corner

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 8:07 PM 2 Comments

Finally some love for the boys!... Baby Boy Breastfeeding Record

A long time ago (almost 2 1/2 years now), I introduced my breastfeeding record... a fabulous resource (for me anyway) for keeping track of all those newborn stats we need to keep track of. You know, when did we feed? How many wet diapers? How many poopy ones? When Tornado was born, I jotted it all down on notebook paper, but I wasn't happy with the way it worked entirely. So when Sweet Pea was coming, I designed something pretty and functional to help me keep track. Many of you have requested that I send you a copy so that you could use it too... and I hope it worked for you as well as it worked for us!

Over the last couple years I have had a couple requests for a "boy version", as apposed to pink flowers. I can remember saying something like... "if I ever have time, I'll let you know." Well, with the coming (soon) of our little boy, I've had to make time to make that "boy version"... and so here it is!!

I used the same format as the original, but replaced pink with blue and made up a cute little background (sailboats homemade by yours truly). I hope it's something you can enjoy. Tornado helped decide what other little "decorations" should be included.

Download all the files below:


Week 1: A very special week measured in 24 hour periods from the birth time. I've mentioned what the stools should be like too. The blue boxes show the minimum number you should be looking for. (Talk to your babies doctor if you have questions about what exactly is right for your baby. I'm getting my information from Baby Wise!) In the "Feedings" boxes, I usually put an "R" or "L" in the box for the side last started on, and above the box I put the time. If you are bottle feeding, you could also put the number of ounces given in the box.



Weeks 2-4: You may have to tweak the end of the first week with the beginning of the second (or blend them) as it switches from 24 hour periods to full days. Otherwise I work it pretty much the same.



Weeks 5-10: This one is pretty much the same too... and I found that I stopped being so faithful sometime before the tenth week. Use them as they fit your life style. At some point between week 6 and 10 I'm comfortable in a routine and don't find that I'm depending on my records anymore. You may find that you feel the same! :)


So there you have it... feel free to ask questions if you have any. I'll get to them when I can, though, I've slowed down significantly in these last days before baby's arrival, so please be patient!


___________________________
You can find the girl versions here too:

Labels: Breastfeeding, Getting Ready for Baby

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 12:04 PM 1 Comments

The race is on!

My bloggy friend Nikki used to participate (before it came to an end) in something called Work in Progress Wednesday. I enjoyed seeing what she was working on, but apparently it was for crochet, and really, even if it wasn't, I rarely work on my projects enough to call them "in progress" anyway.

Eh hem... back on point, I thought I would share my "work in progress"... in the spirit of it being Wednesday and all. But really, this "work in progress" is so much more than that. I decided on Sunday evening (when My Beloved was working very late), that if I worked hard, I just might be able to finish this particular project before the baby gets here. It's not for the baby... not directly anyway. It's for all of us. I started it this past winter upon completing a snowman quilt for our couch (one that had been in the works for many years...7?) It's purpose was to be our spring quilt... so that we'd have something other than snowmen to cuddle under in the cold mornings or evenings of spring. Well... it didn't happen this year. We cuddled under those snowmen well into June (when it became crazy hot all of a sudden).

Now here I am... 38 weeks pregnant. Two weeks to go (or three... or four). It's getting hard to wait. I'm uncomfortable and impatient. I'm sleeping poorly and ready to have my body back. Strangely, this time around it's not about holding the baby sooner (though I'm sure I'll enjoy that too), it's more about not being pregnant anymore. Perhaps summer has something to do with it. Perhaps it's because I know that adding a newborn to our crazy lives could be a little overwhelming. Perhaps it's because I have two littles to cuddle and love and train already and there just isn't time to daydream about the coming days with my newest and littlest.

Whatever the story behind the story... I'm ready for baby to be here... and once I get to this point, it's hard to wait. However... since the advent of this resurrected project, I have set a challenge. A race, if you will. I plan to race this baby to the end. Can I finish this quilt and have it tucked away for fall (if only they were fall colors, but maybe next fall I can have a fall-ish quilt to use in the living room) and spring use before baby comes? It's my plan... my goal... and I'm determined to do so. And it really shouldn't be hard. I finished one side in the last three days. That means that, at my current rate, I could be finished in another 8-9 days. If I work faster, obviously, it will be fewer than that. If I miss one... I could, theoretically, assuming baby doesn't come early, still get it done.

Regardless, it seems to be serving it's purpose. I'm not so worried about baby coming today or tomorrow anymore (in fact, I'll be a little disappointed if I don't get this done first). I'm more willing to wait him out (no pun intended but golly they're fun!) If I finish this project, I'll get started on another one and set a new race!

How about you??? Any tips and tricks for making it through these last couple weeks???

Labels: As it happens..., Getting Ready for Baby, Mommy's Tool Box

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 7:08 AM 1 Comments

More panic than nesting...

I'm thinking it's a combination of the doctor's words yesterday ("ok then... any time now, right?") even though there are still officially 4 weeks left until my due date and the couple of random (yet more official feeling) contractions I had yesterday evening that has set me on today's rampage of activity. Unfortunately, I'm not feeling well enough to be on this rampage (hence my blogging break).

Even just the idea that I could go into labor at any time made me painfully aware how un-ready I am. Oh sure... the baby would come, we'd care for him, all would be well. Of course that's all that really matters... but there are a few other things I really wanted to have done first. To make things a little more sane for me... especially if I have to go this alone during the month of July (My Beloved really can't be away from work in the month of July and my mom won't be here until August 6th.)

So what things am I talking about?

So far today I've:

• re-sorted through all the baby clothes and blankets/burp cloths/etc I have and organized them. I boxed up (and labeled ~ woo hoo!) a box of 3-6 month clothes and a box of 6-9 month clothes and stuck them in the closet... it's nice not to have them cluttering up what little space I have in the kids room.
• done 3-4 loads of laundry (half of which is folded and put away). I really don't want to leave for the hospital with the house being in complete disarray... I'll need to stay on top of the laundry a little better!
• straightened/organized the corner/closet area of our bedroom so I can deep clean/vacuum it.
• refolded all the receiving blankets after washing them (Sweet Pea graciously unfolded all the blankets, burp clothes, etc. we have a couple weeks ago... and while I was refolding everything, the receiving blankets felt a little stale and crunchy. So I rewashed them. Apparently she was looking out for her little brother already.)
• fed the kids two meals (if I don't mention this one, it's like it never happened.)
• took apart the new (to us) car seat so it can be washed (it's in the dryer now).
• removed the new (to us) boppy cover to be washed (also in the dryer now).
• placed a call to the friend who said she has cloth diapers for me (not the one I really want, but the prefolds and cover option that will get us started.)
• placed a call to the friend who said she had a bassinet we could use (it should be here within the hour if she doesn't forget!)
  

Still on my "panic list":

• thorough vacuuming of our bedroom (under the bed, behind side tables, etc.) and wipe down/dusting of everything in there (including windows and sills). I want to give the new baby a clean sleeping place to start with!
  
• hospital bag packed (it sure would be nice not to have to do this while I'm in labor... again!

Now you know, since I've done all this (or will have in the next 24ish hours), this baby is sure to go full term... or even late. So there are still a hand full of things I'd love to have time for that aren't really "panic" items (which means I'll just make do if I run out of time).

• some more meals in the freezer (there are a good half dozen or so with a couple more planned for this week).
• homemade nursing pads.
• preschool lessons prepped for the fall (better now than later for sure).
• bunk beds finished (not really my job, but I need to help make time for My Beloved to be able to work on this).
• re-read parts of The Diaper Free Baby and Husband Coached Childbirth.
  

Labels: As it happens..., Getting Ready for Baby

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 2:19 PM 1 Comments

Nesting?

Ok, so it doens't happen very often, but I have been going through some little nesting spurts. I wouldn't even think to call it nesting except that the sudden urge to scrub clean the window and counter area around my kitchen sink started at 10 o'clock at night. My Beloved was working on his own project and I just started in on the kitchen!

I won't say it looks this great right now, but even for a moment, it was beautiful! And how nice to have one corner deep cleaned before baby comes!

Labels: As it happens..., Getting Ready for Baby

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 7:41 AM 2 Comments

Adding #3: Project Sleeping Arrangements

With just about 8 weeks to go before adding a third child to this bedroom (in theory anyway, if not in practice), we're working to make space.

I don't have a picture of our current set up (wouldn't that have called for forethought?!?) but right now Tornado is sleeping in this red toddler bed (which used to live on this wall and not in the middle of the unfinished bed frame) and Sweet Pea is still in the crib (because she doesn't climb out at every moment like Tornado did at a lot younger than she is now).

We were posed with a bit of a challenge when we learned baby number 3 was on the way... and no plans to move immediately into a larger home. That means 3 littles in one little room. Ok... so the room isn't tiny. It works. But the layout does pose us with a bit of a problem, so we're working with it. I'll try to give more details in a future post, but for now it's enough to say that Daddy is building a bunk bed! That's right... in his spare time. He got this much done Sunday afternoon/evening. It takes up a big chunk of the room, especially as it relates to the door, so we will be reorganizing and reevaluating the "stuff" that is in there currently.

The kids think it's great and Tornado is very excited that he gets to sleep on top and that Sweet Pea will sleep under him, and especially that he will get to use a ladder to get in and out of bed. I don't know if he really understands it all to the fullest, but I guess we'll find out.

Labels: As it happens..., Getting Ready for Baby, Prince Charming

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 2:12 PM 3 Comments

Making Plans... 11 weeks and counting

When I really think about the fact that there are 11 weeks (give or take) left of this pregnancy, it sounds like a lot. But when I think about the fact that there are less than 12 weeks left, it sounds like I'm running out of time. Still... it's almost 3 months, and when I think about it like that, it can get a little depressing. :)

In reality though... I know it's not going to be all that long. Especially if he decides to come early. Add in there our (hopefully) busy senior portrait season and two busy little ones already and time is sure to fly right by. If I hope to do anything to make my transition to a mother of three any easier, I need to start those preparations now!

Over the next few months, I hope to share with you a bit of what I've done each week to prepare for baby... and my plans for the next week. I'm hoping that by doing it like this... a little at a time... I can be an encouragement to any of you trying to do the same thing.

Since I haven't really done anything yet, I thought I'd start by giving you a baseline. What do I have and have done?

As far as what I've done...

• I attended our hospital's "Bear Essentials" class this past week. I've attended this class with both prior pregnancies and already know how to fit a car seat and not to shake my baby (though the video they show touches me every time... I always cry!) The reason I go each time (despite the inconvenience) is to get preregistered... and all the paperwork for the hospital! I love this opportunity. I love that when I arrive at the hospital to have my baby, there is minimal paperwork and we can just get down to having that baby!
  
• That night, I filled out all the paperwork and looked over the information they included about postpartum and newborn care (just as a refresher). It's so great to have this done and off my to do list. And I was able to do it sitting next to my sweet husband while he cleaned his guns (in a well ventilated area!) while listening to a dramatized version of the Chronicles of Narnia audio book (my Christmas present!)
• I've read a book on the Bradley Method for Husband Coached Childbirth. I really liked it and am hoping to buy it soon so I can read it again (it was a library book). I'm excited to have a plan for labor and delivery this time. I've never taken any classes in the past and I always end up feeling very out of control when the pain gets intense. I'm hoping to avoid that this time.
• When I updated the kids dresser for summery things, I rearranged the whole thing, leaving the bottom two drawers for baby things (not that there was much to put in them at the time!)
  

Now, what do we have already for baby?
Some of you may already know that last summer we got rid of just about all our baby stuff at a garage sale. And whatever didn't sell there, we donated to the local Christian run crisis pregnancy center. We were not *planning* to have any more, you see, and it seemed silly to horde all that stuff in our tiny home just in case. And... we knew that if that "just in case" happened, the Lord would provide the way He did the first time. I still support our decision.

That said, when we found out we were expecting this time, we didn't have anymore than the crib Sweet Pea still sleeps in and a small handful of outfits I just couldn't get rid of.

But God has already begun providing for us!! Last September, one of the families in our Bible study group had a baby boy! And just last week, she brought me all his 0-6 month clothes. I sorted through them and weeded out all the stained stuff (she has 3 boys... so some of the clothes were *well* worn.) Now they are living happily in those two drawers I set aside for baby.

On top of the dresser (for now) are piles of receiving blankets, blankets, and diaper/puddle pad type things just waiting for a new home. I think we're set on those.

So already, we have a few things covered...

• onsies for 0-3 months
• jammies (zip up front with legs kind) for 0-3 months
• some gowns
• some outfits
• receiving blankets!
• burp cloths
  

What a blessing that we already have some of those "need them right away" things!!

Labels: Getting Ready for Baby

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 7:13 AM 2 Comments

EC... Diaper Free Baby (Updated)

I mentioned Elimination Communication briefly before...

I gave it only passing interest when I first learned of it because, really, it didn't matter much to us. We weren't having anymore babies. Then, several months later, we learned that we are having another baby. Once things slowed down from Christmas, my energy started returning and morning sickness became just that (an occurrence happening in the mornings, and not all day long), I stumbled on Elimination Communication again... this time with more interest. This mommy detailed her journey in EC with each of her children. I still thought it sounded a little crazy, but I was also interested. And my interest was growing. A few weeks later, I looked into it some more. And again a few weeks later. Finally I requested The Diaper Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh from our local library.

I have to say... I loved it! I already knew the underlying ideas behind Elimination Communication. I had pieced them together searching around the internet. Here, I want to give you some of the basics as I understand them (I have no personal experience of my own yet, so I'm not an expert by any stretch of the word... just sharing what I've learned from this book and other resources.)

So what is EC?
Elimination Communication (EC) is a method of communicating with your baby about a very simple process... elimination! The basic premise is that everybody poops and God has built in, from birth, a desire and ability to eliminate... without doing it all over ourselves! Author Christine Gross-Loh says, "Believe it or not, your child was not born wanting to go to the bathroom in a diaper. Like other mammals, human babies are born with the instinct not to soil themselves. It is not a natural or pleasant feeling for them to sit in their own waste; they are born aware of the sensation of going to the bathroom." (p. 1-2) (Updated: See comments for discussion on the whole "mammals" idea.) She tells us that even our newborn babies have the ability to give signals of going to the bathroom, before and during elimination. ECing is a process of learning those signals and teaching our babies what to do with them.

This process of EC isn't infant potty training. The goal is not to have a potty trained baby at 5 months, or 8 months or 12 months. The process of EC is exactly that... a process. I can remember a number of people commenting when I was potty training Tornado last year... that I was the one being trained, not him. That by taking him potty every 30 minutes to an hour I was the one being trained. It didn't bother me... we were using less diapers. And now that I think about it, I was making it possible for him to be cleaner... to not sit in his own waste.

It is very much the same thing with ECing your infant, at least in the beginning.


So how does it work?
It all starts with observing your baby. Whether you begin immediately after birth, or wait a couple weeks or months, the first step is to take off that diaper (other options are available too) and pay attention. Pay attention to when your baby potties, and when he poops. Is it right after feedings? During feedings? A half an hour later? Is it every 20 minutes in those early days, or can he hold it in almost an hour now? Pay attention!

Also pay attention to what your baby does right before and during elimination. Is there a concentrated look on his face? A noise she makes? Does she kick her feet around when she was otherwise being still? If he's playing, does he stop everything all of a sudden and get a far away look? The "cues" to look for are as diverse as the babies we have. There are a number of other suggestions of what to look for in the book!

When you do see baby "going", make a cue-ing noise for them. Recommended is a "psss, psss" noise for potty and little grunt noises for pooping, though you can use whatever you are comfortable with. This helps them learn to connect that noise with the elimination. That is supposed to come in handy later!


Then What?
Once you are ready to get started, just do it. The Diaper Free Baby recommends starting simple. Apparently most babies won't eliminate while asleep, so the easiest "catch" (EC speak for getting your baby's potty or poop in a receptacle on purpose) is when they first wake up. While you are changing that diaper anyway (if you are using diapers), hold baby over the toilet (other receptacles mentioned are the bathroom sink, bath tub, a pre-fold cloth diaper, or a "potty bowl"). By holding baby as they describe (numerous holds for different ages, etc.) and "cue-ing" him (with that "psss" noise), he should go if he has to.


Misses and being overwhelmed already
There are two things that I noticed most as I was reading the book. The first is that "misses" (EC speak for accidents) happen and there is nothing wrong with them. Sometimes "misses" happen because we are still learning or because baby is changing her pattern or because other parts of life pulled us away. They happen and we need to relax and take them as part of the learning process to communication with our babies. Clean up the "miss", talk about it with your baby, and get ready for the next time. (Note: "misses" from EC'd babies are supposed to be less of a pain than blow-outs from diapered babies... and I believe it!)

The other underlying message I read throughout the book was that any amount of EC still helps your baby. The point of EC, as she would put it, is to help your baby to keep the awareness of his elimination. The author stresses the fact that even part time (as little as an hour a day or a week) can be helpful. If life is too much, and all you can do is talk to your baby about his elimination while you change his diaper, you are still helping him.

I am greatly encouraged by this whole concept of any amount is good, and if fact, it is this whole idea that has me eager (and unafraid) to try this myself. I'm hoping to be able to EC this next baby from birth... to spend time diaper free (though over protected and absorbent blankets, etc.) observing and "pottying" my baby boy. And if nursing is a problem, or my other kids get sick and I just can't handle the extra right then... I can feel guiltless when I put a diaper on him to get us through. No matter what, the next morning when he wakes up, or the very next diaper change if I'm ready, we can try the potty again!


Overall, I highly recommend The Diaper Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh! What do you think??? Interested?

Labels: Getting Ready for Baby, Review

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 7:10 AM 5 Comments

Diapering Options

Diapers! They are synonymous with babyhood. Synonymous with parenthood.

For some, there is a decision that needs to be made before baby comes... will we use cloth or disposable. For others it's a no-brainer... "of course we'll use cloth." For still others, disposable is all there is... no one uses cloth anymore, right?

When we were expecting our first, I was excitedly planning to use cloth. I had a big bag of hand me down cloth diapers from a friend (cleaned of course). I read tons about how to do it, how to clean them, etc. I still wasn't completely sure, but I went for it.

When we brought Tornado home, we used the newborn diapers we had part time, but put him in cloth the rest of the time. It was gross, but I did it. I was saving us money and I was excited about that. I didn't have anyone to teach me or to watch first hand, so I really never felt comfortable with how things were going, but I did it anyway. I hated dealing with the poopy ones, but I did that too. We used the disposables when we went out.

After a while, things were just too hard. It had been several months, life was busy, Tornado wasn't gaining weight. I had to switch to pumping all breast milk and adding cereal to it through a bottle to increase calories. He was spitting everything up and we hoped this would help. This new system meant that I was almost constantly pumping, cleaning pumping supplies, prepping bottles, bottle feeding, or washing bottles. And when it was done, it all started again. On top of it all was diapering and laundry. When my grandmother offered to pay for disposables, we decided to take her up on her offer and we never went back, even when she stopped sending money almost a year later.

When Sweet Pea was born, we didn't even think about it... with my schedule and a 15 month old, disposable was the only option in our minds!

Now here we are. Tornado, 3 and a quarter, began waking up dry this week. He's been in underwear overnight 5 nights in a row. There are accidents, but overall, I'd say he's night time trained! Finally! Sweet Pea, 2 this month, has been day time trained for more than a month now. Again, there are accidents, and more than half the time she poops in her underwear instead of the toilet, but out of diapers during the day just the same. That means that we are down to 1 diaper a day... disposable. In all honesty, the convenience of that one disposable diaper a day is pretty nice... especially since there is usually poop in it in the morning.

Our big goal was to have Tornado night time trained and Sweet Pea day time trained before the baby came. I'd say we're there already. We set the goal for both monetary reasons and convenience reasons. It will be so nice not to have multiple littles in diapers!

So what are we going to do this time??? I'll tell you, cloth doesn't look quite so bad these days with all the wet and poopy panties I've been dealing with lately. What's the difference really? Somehow it doesn't seem quite so gross. And on this side of experience, I wonder if it would be easier.

There is one other option that I had never heard about before this past Fall. About 6 months ago I stumbled on something called Elimination Communication. I was reading an article about it which led to a blog which shared first hand experiences. I found it very interesting... and maybe a little crazy. None of it mattered much though since we weren't planning to have anymore babies in this house. So that was it.

To be continued...

Have you heard of Elimination Communication???

Labels: Getting Ready for Baby, Raising Children

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 7:14 AM 0 Comments

Getting ready for baby... What I did to make it easier!

I received the following email from reader Mary:

I found your page. I was trying to figure out how to organize my first
baby's arrival. She is due June 28th and I am trying to get everything done. I
love the way you kept up with everything. Can I please get the pdf for that
page. The one with the feeding and dirty diaper things. I hope to hear from you
soon. Thanks. Mary

First of all, I must address the "kept up with everything" part of this email. Things were a lot smoother than they would have been if I weren't prepared at all, but I spent $60 today to have someone else come in and clean my house. My little one is 7 weeks old and things had finally gotten out of hand enough that we decided it was worth it.

I want to point out to you that every family situation is different. I was blessed to have my husband stay home from work the first week we were home from the hospital. He was able to take care of most things around here. Families from our church brought meals, which helped a lot! Then, my mom came the 3rd week to help take care of things. You may or may not have as much help as I did in the early days.

Now that my newborn is a bit older, my husband is gone most weekends and I'm on my own. In addition, we are gearing up for our busy business season. I think it's fair to say that things have gotten WAY behind. We new something had to be done when DS started wandering around barefoot (because it's so nice and warm) and the bottom of his feet are filthy! Someone needed to mop!

My point is, "kept up with everything" is relative. And when you're talking about what you read on a blog, you never know. Most of the time we bloggers are posting about what works for us... rarely do we post what is definitely not working for us... even though that may happen more often! My recommendation to you is not to compare yourself to anyone else. Do what you can and do your best for the glory of God! He will help you.

That said, there are a number of things we can do to prepare for the coming of a baby. I was very thankful for all that did get done. Truth of the matter is that I got most of my ideas from other bloggers. So instead of making a fresh list here, I thought I'd share the list I got from others:

• Making Thank You notes ahead of time
• Tammy talks about getting ready this time around
• This is a great list of all sorts of things you can do to get ready for baby!
• The comments here are great for Make Ahead Meals
• More detail on making meals ahead can be found here. Just scroll through till you find the 3-4 posts on Stocking her freezer!

I still have 3-4 meals in my freezer. I've been spreading them out in my normal meal planning so that I don't have to cook every night. It's helped tremendously... even 7 weeks later.

In addition to kitchen things, I also try to have all the baby clothes washed and put away, ready to wear! With all the laundry you'll be doing when baby arrives, it's nice to have a jump on this.

I tried to get the house all cleaned up too. Though I didn't get everything done as I would have wanted, I knew that it would be a while before I felt up to doing any heavy cleaning! If you feel up to it, scrub your kitchen floor, do a deep clean on the bathroom and hunt down those cobwebs! You'll be glad you did later. Just be careful what cleaners you use while you are pregnant or around children. :)

Other things can include spending time with your husband, making sure to pack your bags, getting that crib/bassinet put together, and a slew of others.

There are tons of other things I could say I'm sure. I know you all have even more ideas. If you have suggestions for Mary, and others with the same questions, leave me a comment!

And keep us posted Mary! Congratulations on your coming baby!

Oh... and if you're interested in the feeding record Mary was talking about, check it out here and send me an email. I can get you a pdf copy of them for weeks 1-10!

Labels: Getting Ready for Baby

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 2:23 PM 1 Comments

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Make Ahead Meals!

Today is Tuesday, and therefore Kitchen Tip Tuesday over on Tammy's site. Just to poke my head into bloggyland, I thought I would mention a GREAT kitchen tip!

When expecting a baby, spend a little extra time making a double batch of whatever you are making for dinner. Doing this once or twice a week the month or two before your baby comes will give you a nice selection of meals to take out of the freezer and warm up in those sleep deprived weeks after baby comes! You can bet we are taking advantage of the time I spent last month! :)

Labels: Getting Ready for Baby, In the Kitchen, Passing it On

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 4:42 PM 1 Comments

What's in my Hospital Bag?

Ok... so this became a rather large issue to me last night at 11 when we were getting ready for bed and I was having some contractions. :) I just knew that if I didn't get everything ready, I would certainly be in labor before long. DH was thrilled when I asked him to pull out the luggage from the back of the closet so I could pack it... at 11 pm when he was already practically asleep. :) My sweet darling did it for me anyway though! I was thankful to already have a list of things I wanted in my bag. Here it is!

Labor and Delivery Hospital Bag List:

• chapstick (a must for me anytime, especially in the dry hospital air!)
• socks (my mom sent a crazy pair... I'll try to get pictures sometime!)
• scrunchii (do I even have to explain?... I have a lot of hair!)
• nail file (a rough nail would make me crazy!)
• eye drops (for DH and his contacts)
• Cliff Bars (I still need to get these, they are DH's favorite and I thought they would be a nice snack for him)
• tooth brush and tooth paste (I'd hate to have a bad taste in my mouth and no way to fix it... plus, I need it for postpartum anyway)
• Journal (I need somewhere to put all those "can't blog them till later" thoughts)
• Suduko book (in case we are bored and have the energy)
• brush (probably not needed till postpartum, but might as well have it now)
• birth plan/hospital paper work
• magazines/book
• moisturizer (goes with the chapstick at the beginning of the list!)
• camera and video camera
• Husband (he would love to miss this part... but I'm making him come!) :)

Postpartum Hospital Bag List:

• shampoo and conditioner
• face soap
• make up (I don't wear much very often, but maybe it will help me feel pretty after child birth!)
• Home going outfit
• underwear
• nursing bra
• nursing pads
• socks/slippers
• Home going outfit for baby
• baby blankets

Any other ideas ladies?? What did you bring with you??? Or what did you wish you brought? Let us know! I would love any ideas (I hate regretting things later!)

Labels: As it happens..., Getting Ready for Baby, Mommy's Tool Box

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 10:20 AM 6 Comments

Today's To-Dos

Sigh... well, I don't hear DS anymore, so maybe he is actually going to fall asleep. It's been a crazy morning with him being tired and fussy (perhaps not feeling well today) and mommy really not feeling like doing all the mommy things (perhaps I'm not feeling well today either). I do have a number of things I want to accomplish during nap time... so we'll see. The first thing I did after putting DS down to nap is straighten up the mess he leaves in his wake. Since we have just one living area (kitchen/living room combined), not cleaning up his toys regularly leaves us in chaos! I've weeded out lots of the toys he doesn't play with as much and reduced the number of them and books that stay out here. That helped a lot! So what's next?? Well, if I could accomplish everything I want to have done before DS wakes up, here's what it would be...

• fold and organize huge load of clean baby girl clothes (that takes forever because they are so small... lots fit in a "huge" load)
• make last night's dinner for freezer (I was supposed to do this at the same time as making dinner last night, but we only had enough milk for the one recipe... so today I'll make it again. It was REALLY good though, so it's worth it! I'll post on it later on sometime.)
• Make a batch of sugar cookies (we are having dinner with new friends from church Thursday night (V-Day) and I was looking for a fun hostess gift... I thought that yummy heart shaped cookies may be perfect for them and their little boys. :) If I can just get them baked today, I'll frost tomorrow!)
• brown meat for dinner
• Dishes from all the afternoon cooking

I'm so glad I took the time to make that list. Now that I see it all in print (well on the screen anyway) it doesn't look so bad. I think I'll start in the kitchen... that way when I get tired I can sit and fold as a "break"... plus, folding can always be done later if need be! :)

What are you doing today??

By the way... for those of you shocked by my declaration of wishing for more snow in these parts, I'm getting my wish today. We are supposed to be getting combo of snow and frozen rain through morning! It's already started... pray we don't loose power! Still... I love extreme weather like this... at least sometimes!

Labels: As it happens..., Getting Ready for Baby, Home Making, Keeping My Home

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 12:14 PM 2 Comments

Stocking My Freezer with this White Sauce Enchilada Recipe

Yesterday I finally got to the Enchiladas I've been meaning to make for my freezer. They were supposed to be Monday nights dinner (with a second batch going into the freezer), but alas, I discovered my favorite ingredient ~ the green chilis ~ was missing from my pantry, so we did a fake it dinner instead! :)


This is one of our favorite meals though, so I thought I would share the recipe! I got it from friends of ours and made some modifications... thanks guys!


Step 1: Gather ingredients

• 3 large breasts chicken (cooked and cut into bite sized pieces)
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup (we use the Campbell's Healthy Choice to avoid bad ingredients)
• 12 oz. Sour Cream (she uses fat free, but we don't... I also sometimes throw in an entire 16 oz container of this to spread the filling a little further)
• 1 and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese ~ shredded (as you can see, we usually use the Mexican Four Cheese shredded blend in stead... yummy!)
• 4 oz can diced green chilies (this adds a great zing without making it spicy. If it's spice you are looking for, go for diced jalapenos instead... we did this once when we bought the wrong thing. DH loved it, but it was too hot for me.)
• 10 tortillas (though when I split it up into 2 smaller pans, I spread it out over 12 tortillas... 10 works for the 9x13 pan though) (Oh, and we really like to use wheat tortillas, or spinach or sun dried tomatoes... adds nutrients and more fun flavors!)
• 1/2 cup cheese for top

Step 2: You can probably omit this one if you are able to keep your sour cream from freezing in the back of your refrigerator... this stuff was pretty solid... it slowed progress down significantly! :)

Labels: Getting Ready for Baby, In the Kitchen

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 2:06 PM 2 Comments