Trip to Boston

I know... I've been absent for a while but I really am going to try to be better about keeping up with this blog!  We've had a busy summer and as much as everyone else is ready for fall I personally would live in summer all year. Although I would have to find a way p still have a use for baby uggs because I may have a slight addiction. 

Last weekend my dad was traveling to Boston for the Yankees vs Red Sox game so of course Collins and I HAD to go. (Justin still isn't over it.  He had to work). So when I initially decided I would bring Collins along I knew it was going to be a complete shit show flying with a non stop 16month old who hates nothing more than sitting and being confined. Challenge accepted. 

I spent nights on google, Pinterest, and blogs looking for tips or flying with a toddler. Most advice I found was common sense ( it seemed) or completely unrealistic. 

The things I found most helpful for traveling with a toddler 

 

1. Gogo Babyz-  this thing was a life saver for carrying her car seat through airports. Now if you google it you'll see people using it and their child sitting in the car seat also being easily toted along. Ha! Yea right! However it is a million times easier using this since you are not suppose to check your car seat. ( doing so risk it being damage te same way it would be in a car wreck by being thrown around by the baggage people. HONESTLY you are suppose to buy a seat for your child and use your car seat. I didn't have an extra 700$ for a ticket for Collins and under 2 they fly free in your lap so that is why we did.) 

2. iPad- great for keeping her entertained on the flight. I bought a few games/ Disney movies the night before on it and she was set! 

3. Benadryl-  yes I used it to make ER sleepy. It worked. ( a doctor from the ER I work in recommended it so no I do not feel bad) I will say though make sure you know your getting on the plane before giving it! I gave it 30 min before boarding our first flight home and the second she swallowed they announced my flight was delayed and I had to get redirected to make it home. So they I had to go wait in the customer service line with a drowsy baby with WAY to much to look at I be able to go to sleep. So of course that makes for a very cranky LOUD ass child. From then on out every single flight home was delayed. We didn't get home until 1 am and it was HORRIBLE! So make sure you will be taking off before giving it! 

4. Books- Collins can look through the same boom for hours just turn it upside down, backwards, or sideways and she's entertained! I brought 2-3 THIN and light books with me. 

5. Sippy cup- I heard getting them to drink during take off helped with ears popping. I had her drink at every take off and she never seemed bothered at all. Just don't forget you can not bring liquids through security so you will have to buy the liquid for the soppy cup once you have been through security. 

6.  I bought a new bag/ purse what was smaller than my diaper bag and easy to carry on for the flight. One that was cross body so I would easily be able to use it while carrying Collins and pulling a car seat. I got this bag but you get te idea :)

 

 

 
 
 

Some of the best advice I got was from Jessica at little baby garvin. She recommended not boarding first whe they say people with small children can. We waited and were the last to board every single flight! I let Collins run around while everyone else boarded then we hopped on last so he wasn't already bored by the time we took off.  This was really the best advice I got!  

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions. 

Packing for the hospital

Its getting so close to all of my prego friends due dates! I cant wait to meet all of Collins' sweet new friends! With that being said Ive told a few friends I would do a post on what to pack for the hospital.  There are a million different websites/blogs that will tell you about a million different things but these are what I considered a necessity or very helpful!

You really dont need too much for baby.  A few cute outfits for the hospital, some caps, and mittens.  Then obviously an adorable coming home outfit!  I also brought a some swaddle blankets (although you can use the ones at the hospital) and a baby blanket!  I know some people are anti paci however we were not and I adore wubbanubs-- Collins has 3 after I had a huge minor freakout when our dog got her first one that she had in the hospital.  Last, I know I have mentioned before I am a fan of the My breast friend over the boppy.  Personal preferance, but bring your nursing pillow if you are planning to breast feed. 
Lastly dont forget your carseat!! I reccomend having it installed and ready atleast by week 37 just incase!!

*Things not to bring-
diapers & wipes- the hospital will provide them so dont waiste yours!
baby shampoo/wash- again use the hospitals
baby toys-all they do is sleep :)

Most of the stuff you need to pack is for you!  Make sure you pack all of your toilitries-  go ahead and buy some so they are packed in your bag--dont plan on throwing them in before you leave.  I also reccomend dry shampoo and face wipes.  If your in labor for a while you will be glad you have those to refresh your look for first photos!  I never leave my house without at lease 2 packs of burts bees so obviously its on by list.  If you dont use it i reccomend packing some kind of chap stick.  Bring a pillow from home ( or 2 so hubby has one)  hospital pillows can kind of suck! 

Next is clothes for you.  Nursing bra & tanks are great! As far as other clothes I hate to tell you but you will still need maternity/stretchy clothes.  Sucks I know but dry it up because thats how it goes.  :)  Gap has some good comfy black workout pants and tanks/tops that are great!!. 

Last dont forget your baby book (or at least a few pages) so you can get foot and hand prints when the nurses have to right after delivery!!  Also your camera, an extra memory card, and CHARGERS!!..for your camera, ipad, phone, and anything else!! Nothing sucks worse than going through labor and not being able to take pics!!

I really hope this helps! I will update later and add some good ideas for dad's bag too!

...blue eyes and bouncing curls

Name that song!  If you are a Kenny Cheney fan like me you got it! There goes my life. That song came on. When I was headed home from a  hard on the heart night at work and that part couldn't have hit me harder. Let me just remind you to hold ypur sweet babies a little tighter tonight. Workimg in a prdiatric ER will quickly make you realize how lucky you are to have a health little one. 

Any ways! You see when I was pregnant I kept saying please let her get her daddy's blue eyes and curly hair. I have hair that won't hold curl at all! I got lucky because she ended up with both!  Here are some pics lately... 

Mother's Day with Gigi!

Hope you all are enjoying this gorgeous weather lately!

Paint Party Fun!

After getting some of the We Can Too edible finger paint I have been so excited about having a fun paint party with Collins.  Unfortunately they don't sell any edible finger paint around here and by the time I decided I wanted to paint I didn't have time to order it off of Amazon.  So Collins and I decided we would make our own edible paint and go to town.  Let me start off by saying edible is the key word here.  The second Collins saw the different colors in the bowls the first thing she said was "Mmmm" followed by her new lip smacking she does when she wants food.  (Its cute now... but smacking gets old... quick! ). 

See...she was most interested in eating it!  There are a ton of recipes for making edible paint on Pinterest and other blogs but I found most to be way to watery! So the recipe I used combined a few I found online & one from a friend, and then I changed things a little to make it thicker!

Edible Finger Paint:

◾2 cups of flour

◾1/2  cup of sugar

◾2 teaspoons of salt

◾1 cups cold water

◾1 cups hot water

◾Food Coloring

◾Small bowls

◾Paper (or canvases if you choose-- we did!)

* I also ended up adding about a half a cup of  corn starch to thicken it up

Slowly mix your flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl and stir in the cold water. Once it is mixed well, stir in the warm water. (After the warm water is when I added corn startch)  Divide the mixture into separate dishes and add 2-3 drops of food coloring per dish. Stir well until the color is the hue you wish it to be. 

The purple paint is the "We Can Too" paint we had and honestly after tasting it I am glad we didnt order more!  It tasted horrible!  Im not saying the homeade kind was delicious or anything but it was better!  Im planning on using our canvases as part of a fun mothers day surprise for Gigi & Nana.  Ill be sure to post those pics after Sunday.  Let me know if you use this recipe (or if you know any other fun paint recipes or ideas) we are always looking for fun toddler approved crafts. 

*Oh and Momma dont think your getting out of this clean! Make sure you & your babe wear clothes that are not important.. food coloring doesnt come out!*

Sorry Ive been MIA!

My computer crashed! With that being said, its been hard to blog because I hate using my cell and adding the photos since I can't move them around. Oh we'll enough whining.. My amazing uncle fixed it so now I have it back! We have been absolutely crazy in our house since CK turned 1. I swear since that week she is NON STOP & into EVERYTHING.  Im pretty sure shes trying to figure out a way to go with momma to work (you know the ER at childrens hospital).  We have been lucky and had amazing weather lately (except this weekend). Collins and I have spent most of my off days at the park which she loves.  Ecspecially trying to run UP the slides. Like I said.. trying to go to mommas work.  Here are a few snap shots from our park trips lately. 

With all this warm sunny weather (again, except this weekend) I've been stocking up on stuff for summer lately also.  Look.com had a sale going on 2 weeks ago & we got saltwater sandals for $17.00! These things are adorable and great for a new walker runner! I've also been told I'm not allowed to buy anymore swimsuits after the 17 I've bought (but until gap and old navy quit coming out with new ones thats not going to happen)! 

Gap Swim suit

Gray & Coral Tee

Silver salt waters

Gap Blue & White dress

Striped Dress

floral dress

J. crew tunic

Gap ruffle skirt

(Some of my swim suits for this year... I have a problem. I know. They are just so cute!)

IT'S BASEBALL SEASON!

Anyone who knows me knows my FAVORITE time of year is baseball season! It's my favorite! Justin played college ball at JSU (where we met) then got drafted after his junior year by the Texas Rangers. We had so much when he was in the minors. I loved traveling to watch him and getting to lay out & shop in Phoenix during spring training. Justin got an aneurism in his pitching arm and had to get surgery so he ha to retire. As much as we hate that, I can not imagine him still playing and having to be gone so much with Collins! So with all that said you can imagine how much we LOVE baseball season!! Naturally I would love to be at the Rangers games watching some of Justin's old teammates ball in the bigs but that's a long trip for a ball game.
We have always been big braves fans... (That was actually our first date!) so I could not wait to take Collins to her first game!! We wanted to last season but never got the chance and honestly I'm glad her first game was when she was a little older and could have fun! (And share a hotdog and cotton candy). We had so much fun at the game today and can not wait to take her to more games this spring & summer!

Ten eleven and twelve month fav's

I still can not believe I have a baby who is 12 months. Totally unreal! As she has gotten older and WAY more mobile her favorites and my favorites for her have began to differ. Hers have pretty much turned into anything she SHOULDN'T have such as: light sockets, electrical plugs, pennies (of course to put in her mouth).. And the list continues. My favorites for the month ( that she likes just not as much a the off limit items above) include:

1. mOmma sippy cup- now that we have transitioned to no bottles (3 days now!!) we had to find something for her to drink her milk out of. She won't drink it from the other sippy cups but drinks it great out of these! They have been a life save the past couple of days while she's been fussy at nap time and I would have loved to shove a bottle in her mouth give her a bottle.

2. Safesippy- http://www.kid-basix.com//index.php As far as a water/ juice sippy cup this has been her favorite! The sippy cup transition has not been cheap easy for us and I'm pretty sure she has tried them all

3. playskools rocktivity sit, crawl, and stand- my mom got her this for Christmas and she LOVES it. She plays with it all the time and it is great for keeping her entertained.

4. Fisher price dance and sing puppy - when she's not dancing to the hotdog song the is dancing/ cracking up at this! Another Christmas present that has been a great toy for her!

5. Gerber toddler meals- trying to decide what to cook when feeding a new eater is HARD! Or maybe I just suck at it as bad as I have always sucked at coming up with meals for Justin and I. These have been great especially with our wacky schedules. With me working until 11 and Justin until 6-7 at night out dinners normally consist of fast food so this way she is actually getting a meal with veggies ( although she spits out every single pea or carrot. You can't even try to hide it in the other foods she will swallow everything else and then spit out the veggies. Well played baby girl)

6. The first years hands free baby gate-http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000058CC7 I know a lot of people that think they need to register and "baby proof" very early but the truth is until they are really crawling a walking there is no point. We have a bunch of different gates up throughout the house and this one is my fav! You jut have to push the foot step down and it opens the gate which is so much easier when you and carrying your babe and laundry or whatever and don't have a free hand to open the gate!

1st Birthday Celebration!

Well I can oficially say I have a 1 year old.  It still completly blows my mind that Collins is already 1 but she is turning in to such a little person and it is so much fun watching her little personality!  We celebrated her actual birthday on Wednesday at home.  Justin and I stayed up after her on Tuesday night and fiilled the entire upstairs full of balloons for when she woke up. 

 

 

 

She LOVED it! She had so much fun running from balloon to balloon trying to grab and kick them all.  We started the day off with sprinkle pancakes which she loved, followed by play time on her new slide. She is now a pro.. her favorite thing is trying to walk up the slide... Ill let ya know when we end up in the ER... I guess it's convenient that I work there?

 

The rest of her birthday was spent playing and doing last minute party prep. When I say last minute party prep that gives the illusion that I already had most of it done... Wrong. You see, I have this habit of thinking I can accomplish way to much a day or so before events. I really need to break that habit.

 

Originally I had planned on having a fun outdoor party with slides, painted pickin tables, and beer. That was all shot to hell when the forecast showed 70% chance of rain and 35 degree weather. I know I should have planned for bad weather but again preplanning is not really one of my strong points. So at about 10am we finally decides to set up everything inside INCASE it rained. ( INCASE your wondering no, of course it did not end up raining the entire time we had our indoor party. Cruel joke). My moms boyfriend had built me a fabric backdrop I wanted for pics that we had to cut down to be able to fit inside, the painted picnick tables (that Justin and I had argued about all week bc he is over my teal addiction) sat outside not used, and I was reminded my house is too small. With all of that said the party went great!! Mostly thanks to my 2 out of state friends and sick momma who came over to get my ass in hear and get everything set up! Collins had too much fun getting all the attention at one time and it was so much fun having all of my family and best friends there to celebrate such a fun day!

 She didnt have the face in cake reaction I was hoping for but after trying the cake I dont blame her.  The icing wasnt very good and the cake was hard so I dont blame her :(

Mommy vs. Nurse

I love my job.  Really, I do.  Do I some days wish I was a SAHM, definitely.  But I also love what I do.  I am a nurse and am so lucky to be able to help people in so many ways.  When I graduated nursing school I got my dream job, the one I wanted when I started nursing school.  The trauma & burn ICU at a big level 1magnet hospital.  Yes, like any job at times Im over it, but all in all I can not imagine not working with trauma.  When Collins was born something in me decided I wanted to work with kids.  Kids? Yes Kids.  This coming from the person who always said I could never work with them. Fast forward 6 months and I changed jobs to working in the Emergency Dept at Childrens Hospital.  I do still work part time on TBICU and am also a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) that works for rape response.  Although I do really miss being on TBI working in the ED with kids has taught me SO much, in regards to Collins.  I am a nurse but if I didnt work in the ED Im pretty sure we would have ended up there a couple of times due to me being a worried first time mom.  With that said I thought a blog post on some of the "medical issues" and answers might would be helpful to other first time mommas.

All in all we have been very lucky.  Collins has only gotten sick one time (when she ended up with RSV) and Im pretty sure it was my fault due to there being a million babies at work with it so Im sure I brought some germs home :( (Talk about feeling like shit for that one!)  So some of the issues Ill talk about that I have not actually had to deal with from the momma stand point. 

The first issue we had (and apparently a lot of people have) was was dealing with fussiness from gas/ constipation. I remember texting my mommy friends when Collins was a couple months old because she kept crying and drawing her legs up towards her stomach.  My friend told me they learned really quick to put gas drops in every bottle (breast milk and then formula).  This made all the difference for us.  Im pretty sure we bought all of the bottles target ever had for the first few months of formula feeding.  We also swapped to Similac sensitive formula (when I was no longer breastfeeding or using pumped milk).  One important thing about this is to remember just because your baby does not have poop for 1-2 days does NOT mean they are constipated and your need to go to the ER.  It seems weird when your baby goes from pooping after every single feeding to going a day or 2 in between but this can be normal.  If they seem fussy and are straining with out results that’s when you should try one of the following suggestion:
Feeding your baby a LITTLE bit of juice (prune especially) will also help with constipation.  Another remedy for constipation is Karo syrup.  (this one is mommy advice NOT nurse advice).  Although my pediatrician did tell me to put a little Karo in the bottle you should ask your first before you do so. 
Lastly pediatric glycerin suppositories will also help if your little one cant seem to get it out.  Again talk it over with your doctor. 
Respiratory issues are a BIG one with babies, and the most scary.  So we will start with the easy congestion/ runny nose issue.  If your baby has congestion the first 2 things your doc is going to tell you is to suction with a bulb syringe and saline and a humidifier in their room will help.  These are both very true.  However for whatever reason the bulb syringes are all too big for Collins' nose.  (maybe she has small nostrils?)  I bought the Nose frieda and it works WONDERS!  Yes it seems gross (and it is) because you hold it up to your little ones nose and suck in to pull out all the snot.  But there is a filter so nothing comes back in the line toward you!  I know it still sounds gross but it works. Babies naturally breath faster and are also nose breathers (unlike adults). Normal respiration for babies are:

0days-1wk-40-60 breaths per min

2wk-1mo-25-40/min

2mo-1year25-40/min

2-5year- 20-25/min  

If your baby is congested make sure you take that into account while feeding also.  If they have a bottle in their mouth and their nose is congested they can not breath! When they are congested you will have to take more frequent breaks during feeds so they can catch their breath!  Like you and I, no one wants to eat much when they feel like shit so keep that in mind too! As long as they are taking in enough to still be peeing then its ok that they aren’t drinking as much when they are sick.  When Collins got RSV and I called my pediatrician they reccomended I could get a "little dose" of delsym or Triamenic.. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!  I dont care if your pediatrician says its ok.  They meds in those can cause some very bad adverse reactions! There is a reason there is an age on the bottle...If it were safe for younger babies that would be the age!

**If your baby seems like it is really having trouble breathing, making weird noises, or looks like he is using a lot of his chest/stomach muscles to breath you need to get evaluated by your pediatrician!**

Like I just said you want your baby to still be peeing, regardless of if they are congested so they are not drinking as much, vomiting, or have diarrhea.  With that said if your little one does get a stomach but try to make them drink about 5ml of pedialyte or Gatorade every 5minutes. Don t try to make them drink w hole Gatorade because they will just throw it right back up and it will do no good.  5mls every 5min should be enough to keep em hydrated but not make them vomit. If they do throw up wait 15min and start again.  More than 6-8 hours without peeing consult your doc!

It sucks when your babe is sick.  There is nothing more heartbreaking and discouraging knowing there is nothing you can do to make them immediately better.  Just remember Tylenol(acetaminophen) ever 4 hours, Motrin(Ibuprofen) every 6(FOR BABIES OVER 6MONTHS), and we really consider it a fever once its 100.4.  Lower than that and you do not have to treat it, its your bodies way of trying to fight off something!  I have attatched a fever medicine dosage sheet below!  Hope this helps anyone with sick babies!