Monday Favorites

Today's favorites are things from our weekend. 

I am slightly embarrassed to admit this, and if you ask me in person I'll probably deny it, but Party in the U.S.A. is my jam.  I cannot help but join in 'nodding my head like yeah, moving my hips like yeah'.  Damn song gets me every time. 

Last night at 8:30, the hubby had a great idea for a bed time snack.  (NOT a healthy one, but delicious nonetheless).  Out came the ingredients, mixers, and bowls.  10 minutes later we were enjoying Homemade Buttercream Frosting with graham crackers.  YUM!

As a surprise for Chloe, we went to see a production of The Little Mermaid on Sunday.  I didn't realize it when I bought the tickets, but the entire cast was kids (7-13).  Chloe loved that it was kids and was ecstatic to meet Ariel after the show. Nothing beats the genuine excitement of a kid.

What's your favorite thing this week?
XO!

Breastfeeding is Hard, Part 2

This post is an honest account of a new mom and breastfeeding.
If you missed Part 1, catch up here.

There are a lot of pros to breastfeeding.  I found this link: Timeline of a Breastfed Baby which I liked referring to during my moments of doubt to remember that I am doing something wonderful for my daughter. My favorite part, especially during the first 2 months: You’ve probably heard the delicious fact that breastfeeding uses up the fat stores you laid down in pregnancy. The greatest weight loss is seen in the three to six month period (Moody et al). You’ve just hit the start of this uber fat-burning period.

Aria went through a colic period during our first 3 months together.  It was A LOT of painful crying, no pooping, and hours and hours of screaming.  Chloe did not have this, so my first thought was "it's my breast milk!" We went to the lactation consultant twice, the doctor many times, I cut things out of my diet, all in an attempt to help her.  Nothing helped.  I was ready to throw in the towel again and try formula because in exasperation  I knew she MUST be allergic to my milk.  Everyone we talked to that had any sort of authority on the subject told us to continue breastfeeding, it would only get worse with formula.  Speaking only as a mother who has gone through this, keep breastfeeding! We did give her formula a couple of times to test our hypothesis, and it made the pain and crying intensify.

Everyone's willing to talk about the pros but there are cons to breastfeeding.

• The feeling (and reality) that all you do is nurse.  It can be as often as every 2 hours. So by the time you're done feeding and changing the diaper, you have maybe 30-40 minutes before you start all over again. 
• Having a new baby is exhausting.  There are no extra long naps or sleeping through the night while someone else feeds the baby. 
• Pumping is a pain in the ***.  Getting everything out and ready, sitting there holding bottles, cleaning everything... ugh. 
• There is no sure-fire way to see how much milk your baby is getting.  Pumping gives you an idea of how much he/she may be getting but even the best pump is not as efficient as a baby's mouth.  
• There can still be times nursing hurts, even 6 months in.  Everything I read about breastfeeding has told me "If it hurts, you're doing it wrong".  I have learned through experience, even if you're doing it right, it can/will still hurt sometimes. 
• It it not always convenient to nurse.  Smashed between a car seat and booster seat with a wiggly preschooler makes it nearly impossible for a comfortable feeding for you or the babe, but it's reality. (I see nothing wrong with a mother who is nursing her baby in public, but I am not one of those people)
• The weight that you put on during pregnancy does not always melt right off if you breastfeed.  Sometimes, breastfeeding does not affect the amount of or speed that weight comes off - it takes hard work.  I did not lose the weight any faster than Chloe, and I had to work out a lot more this time.
• Every baby poops.  Breastfed babies are supposed to poop after every feeding.  That doesn't always happen and you fear that something is terrible wrong.  Breastfed babies can go a week without pooping, which is a rude awakening when they start cereal and begin going multiple times a day. (Aria pooped about once a week for the first 6 months and we were reassured every few days that she was fine for the first few months.)
• Getting on a schedule feels impossible.  Breastfeeding is an on-demand job.  You can get there, but it takes fooooorrreeevvvvveeerrrr. (And it will change every few days to a week.)
• Hugging anyone for the first month or two (or maybe three) hurts. 
• The risk of a blocked milk duct and/or mastitis. 
• The feeling of judgement if you decide to stop breastfeeding for any reason (convenience, pain, schedule, pumping, whyever).

Aria is gaining weight at a painfully slow rate, which leaves me questioning almost daily if she's getting enough to eat and should I start supplementing with formula.  I have had a blocked milk duct which is a painful reminder of the everything you've been through so far.  Aria is getting to the point of becoming easily distracted by things around her while eating so she pulls back, causing me to shriek out as she twists and bites at the same time. It's still difficult to leave her for any length of time; it takes 2-3-4 pumping sessions to get enough milk for 1 bottle.  

What I've learned through my experience so far... breastfeeding is hard.  It's not for everyone. It's OK if it's not for you. It's OK if you struggle through it.  I know I am. 

I know I'm not alone... right?

XO! 

I Pinned This - Colored Noodles

We eat a lot of different foods in our house but the one thing I have to fight everyone else to eat is spaghetti. The hubby doesn't like it, Chloe claims to not like it, Aria can't have it yet. But I love spaghetti and it makes me so sad. 

I started making Spaghetti Pie a few months ago (easiest recipe EVER below) and the hubby actually enjoys it.  1 down, 1 to go.  I know Chloe likes it, but enjoys pretending (this isn't the only food she does this with) that she hates it and it will kill her to eat it.  So when I saw this on Pinterest, I knew the score would be Mom 3, everyone else 0 - if it worked. 

Here's what Pinterest promises:
Cook spaghetti then fill ziplock 1/4 with water & add food coloring. Add spaghetti... coolest idea ever for kids!! (The link from Pinterest takes you to a photography website of rainbow food, nothing more.)

Here's what I did:
Slightly doubtful about it working as well as the picture I started off by cooking the noodles.  I used linguine noodles so the would be more noodle for the color to stick to.

The best way to get the different colors is to split the noodles up into baggies.  I added enough water to cover the noodles then dropped in 3-4 drops of food coloring.  (I only did some of the noodles in case something weird happened with the food coloring, we'd still have something to eat.)

 I let the noodles sit in the colored water for 2-3 minutes, dumped out the water and put them into a bowl to check the results.

The colors aren't as bright as the Pinterest picture, but they were much brighter than I expected! The yellow was the only one that looks drab, but what do you expect when you're dying beige noodles yellow? 

I threw the colored back in with the regular noodles and finished making dinner.  Once the sauce and cheese were mixed in, they didn't stand out as much, but it was enough to trick our 4 year old into thinking "This is the best dinner EVER!"

Do you have any foods you have to trick your kids into eating? 

XO!

A fun thing to do with the colored noodles other than eat - let your little ones "draw" on the table using the noodles.  Practice making shapes or letters!

* Spaghetti Pie (easiest recipe EVER!)

• cooked noodles (as little or as much as you want)
• sauce (as little or as much as you want)
• cheese (as little or as much as you want)
• Mix the noodles and the sauce together and put into an oven safe pan.  Sprinkle cheese on top (I like to cover the noodles with cheese).  Bake at 400 until cheese is melted and starts to turn golden brown. ENJOY! 

Monday Favorites

My faves for the week are things that I use daily.  Maybe you already use them, too. 

I picked up my first BB cream last year when it was really starting to hit the market.  My favorite so far is Garnier BB Cream.  You can read about the 5 instant results here.  What I love about it is the extra layer of moisture (for my crazy dry skin) and the sheer coverage it gives.  It is not meant to be used to hide that monster zit you may get from time to time, but for an everyday product it's fast and easy! 

My first Burt's Bees experience was a gift from a student during Teacher Appreciation Week a few years ago. It has a thick, creamy feel that is not greasy.  I have the lavender lotion, too, but my favorite is the milk and honey.  

I downloaded this app on my iPhone last week after seeing it on The Today Show.  It's a grocery list that categories the items you need and offers coupons that are related.  What's better than a grocery list that offers you coupons with having to research for them?!

What's your favorite thing this week? 

XO!

Breastfeeding is Hard, Part 1

This post is an honest account of a new mom and breastfeeding.

When I was pregnant with Chloe, I was very unprepared for a lot.  Some of it may have had to do with the surprise of her and the denial of me throughout almost 7 months of pregnancy.  I was very on the fence about breastfeeding before her arrival (but I mostly mean I was leaning on the fence and standing on the 'no way' side).  And this is more honest that I've ever admitted out loud... I was scared the hubby (who wasn't the hubby then) wouldn't find me desirable after watching me feeding someone out of my boob. Selfish, immature, naive.  I gave it a shot though.  It wasn't a "I really want to do this and make it work" kind of shot, it was a "I don't want anyone to think I'm a bad mom if I don't do this" shot.  Selfish, immature, naive. It lasted maybe 5 days... maybe 4, and I hated it.

Becoming a stay-at-home mom with Aria meant losing an income into our family.  Formula is expensive.  I knew breastfeeding was going to be more of a necessity this time around and I had grown into mother hood enough to know that I could do this, probably.

In case you didn't know, there are not lactation consultants available to you at the hospital during Labor Day weekend.  I relied on memory of what the consultant told me with Chloe, the nurse that got stuck working on the holiday weekend who was not overly friendly/helpful, and instinct.  I was very conscious of her latch, I was generous with the Lanolin ointment and it still HURT.  Day 2-5 is by far the worse.  By day 2, I was cracked and bleeding.  It was turning into the same story as Chloe.  We went home from the hospital on Sunday, I was ready to quit Monday.  Part of my milk supply and settled into into a gland under my armpit, causing a huge, painful lump.  I was still cracked and raw, even after using Lanolin ointment after every feeding.  I was engorged.  I was done.  I had a breast pump from Chloe that was not expressing any milk and hurt equally bad as nursing.  (It got to the point where I was sitting on the toilet seat, crying, holding a bottle and hand-expressing - think similar to milking a cow - to have some relief, any relief.)

My mother-in-law is pro-breastfeeding and wanted it to work out for us this time.  On Monday, while I was nursing Aria, for what I expected to be the last time, she was driving the 40 minutes into Target to pick up a "good" pump and nipple shield.

Both of these were lifesavers.  The shield provided enough relief from the suction of Aria's mouth to allow the skin to heal, while still allowing her to receive milk. (It still hurt, but was manageable.)  I used it on the worst side for 1 full day, then every other feeding, than only if it was really sore, and by 4 days I no longer needed it.  The pump did not hurt while it was pumping (A good pump should NOT hurt!) and expressed enough milk to remove the intense pressure and give back the feeling of softness to my breast.  Between these two "tools" I successfully made it through the first week and what is deemed "the hardest part" of breastfeeding. 

That doesn't mean it got easier. 

Part 2 coming soon...

XO!