Safely sleep with baby….

I am not an expert….but here is how I safely sleep with baby.

Make sure there is NO way the baby can fall out of the bed!

• We built a side car for our baby.  You can do this by taking off the front side of the crib and pushing the crib tightly against the mattress.  If there is any gap at all you need to stuff it with high density foam, an extra blanket or towel.  Anything that will safely close the gap.  We also used blocks to build up the height of the crib and made the transition from our matteress to the crib matteres flush. Ours looks a lot like this ~ Click here.
• You can also push your bed tight against a wall and fill any gap.  This option does not allow for extra space, but if you have a big bed you may not need the extra space.
• Some people put their matteress on the floor so that if the baby falls out of bed it’s a tiny drop.
• You can also purchase side rails for your bed.

Keep items that can smother baby….away from baby.

• NO heavy comforters.  Milan has his own blanket.  Sometimes he snuggles under ours, but it is lightweight.
• NO pillows near small infants. Once baby is asleep, I move my pillow far away from him.
• Keep your heavy arms to yourself.  As a mommy it is your job to stay aware of your body.
• Fill gaps that baby could slide into and not be able to lift themselves out of.

NEVER

• Never sleep with baby if you are OVER TIRED
• Never sleep with baby if you have drank alcohol or under the influence of mind altering drugs
• Never sleep with baby if you have taken over the counter or prescription medication to help you sleep or relax.

Sleeping with baby is wonderful, but it is not without risk.  Make sure you take all necessary precautions to make babies sleeping environment as safe as possible.  If you are uncomfortable at all with the situation, then perhaps an arms reach bassinet is a better choice for you.

I enjoyed this…..http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/sleep-problems/co-sleeping-yes-no-sometimes.

Potty Update

When I look back at Milan’s 10 week old photo of him sitting on his potty I CRACK up!  What a little cutie pants!

Pooping Rockstar

Mylan is now just under 9 months old and he is still using his potty.  It’s been a long time since he has pooped in it, but he does his pee pee in there several times per day.  He goes on his potty first thing in the morning and then every time he whines at me but isn’t wet.  He is in the habit of peeing and then trying to leap off his potty into my arms.  He then quickly squirms out of my arms to inspect the results.  This behavior is a good indication that he understands what his potty is for….Yay!  However, he still goes potty in his diaper about 75 percent of the time.  This is mainly my fault for not taking him to his potty more….sooooooo….

Milan on the potty at 8 months and counting

I have a new goal starting Monday to get him on the potty more often than not!  Update to follow….

In the midst of change….goal number 2.

Milan Walker Rockin His Old School Diapers!

This marks the end of week one, of our cloth diaper experiment

When I was small my grandma would tell the tales of using cloth diapers on her 8 children.  She’d say, “Misty, at least you won’t have to worry about cloth diapers now that they have those disposable ones…..” Ha!  If she could only see me now!

Here is my first attempt at diapering my little man.  This diaper leaked!  Thankfully, I am quickly becoming a cloth diapering expert!  No more leaks 🙂

Why am I using cloth diapers?

I’m not trying to save the planet or be  environmentally chic.  Although, it is nice to know that my frugalness is having a small impact.  It has everything to do with my family and nothing more. I desire deep in my heart to be a stay at home mom and be there for every second of my sons life.  The only way for this to be possible, is for me to do everything I can to save money. When I saw how many diapers this little man
burns through, I knew we had to make some changes.

Here you see about 5 days worth of Smilen Milan’s (My~lan) dirty disposable diapers!

Now that week one is finished, I am happy we tried it and will be happy to continue with it.  Prefold Cloth diapers are easy to use, economical and yes, environmentally friendly! I’d be nice to have those fancy, shamancy Charlie Banana’s or the really cute BumGenius or even some Fuzzibunz.  But for now I am pleased with my old school prefolds.  I would do anything, to be able to see this every single second, of every single day.

Infant Potty Training: Day Two ~ SUCCESS!!

It has been less then 24 hours since we started infant potty training our son.

Success!  Here is Milan grunting out a poo on the potty!

Look Mom, I pooped in my potty….I did it ~ I did it!

Mom & Dad are making too big a deal out of my poop right now!

I can not tell you how exciting it was to hear his lil’ poo land in his potty bowl!

Whoot!  Whoot!

Infant Potty Training ~ Day 3

I am quickly learning a few things about infant potty training.

• It is not for the lazy or tired.  When nature calls you have to be ready to
  race to the potty. When they gotta go, they go!
• A travel potty ring is a must.  Today, Milan pee’d on Grandpa Louie’s
  mini-blinds.  It’s hard to control the wiener and hold him over a big boy
  toilet.
• It’s much easier then I thought it would be.

Milan is doing much better then I thought he would…I should say, Misty is doing much better then I thought she would.  It has everything to do with the parents in the beginning.  If I don’t take him to the potty after he eats, when he first wakes up, when he has a funny look on his face or he is grunting; then he is going to go in his diaper. And if he goes in his diaper, it’s not big deal.  He is a baby and I expect him to go
in his diaper.  However,  he seems to like using his potty. So at this time we will continue to keep training him to do so.

Today, he has only had 2 pee diapers and 1 poo diaper.  The rest of the time he went successfully in his potty.

So far so good!

Squirrelly….

Yesterday while eating chunks of peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough,
I sat gazing out my living room window. I rolled the cool cookie dough around in
my mouth till it turned to warm mush and let my mind slip back to this time last
year.

My yard is home to a delightful group of frisky squirrels who at
this time of year are plump, pretty  and keep my little brown dog busy as she
chases them from window to window.  This year I am really enjoying watching them
build up their winter stores of nuts.

However, last year I was blood thirsty
for their plump little bodies.

Pregnancy can bring about some odd ideas,
cravings and feelings.  Last year at this time I sat gazing out my living room
window 5 months pregnant and plotting.  I used google to find and watch videos
on squirrel hunting. I read articles on how to skin and cook squirrels and I
even called my dad to see if he was an avid hunter of squirrels.  This was
silly, because I knew he was not.

Me:  Hey Dad….all chipper and
nonchalant.
Dad:  Hey, What’s up…..
Me:  Oh, nothing….hey do you ever
hunt squirrels….cutting to the chase.
Dad: Um, yeah we used to.
Me: Oh,
oh o.k……realizing I have crossed the preggo crazy line.

I end the
conversation, slightly embarrassed and confused.  Should I push forward and see
if a squirrel hunt can be organized?  I imagine myself wearing one of those tan
and orange hunting vests with the pockets you drop your kill into.  My vest is
bulging with fresh kill, a tail peeks out the top of one pocket.  My trusty
(non-hunting) skilled hunting dog, (unskilled) Labrador (couch-ador) Liberty
striding proudly at my side.  I imagine myself arriving at home with my kills
and making a little skinning board.  The kind where miniature feet are secured
to the top and the fur is easily stripped off their body.  Then I see
myself sticking the squirrels meaty body on to a bowed branch and hanging it
over a fire I have built-in my back yard.  The flames barely licking the meat.
Oh yeah, it got crazy like that.

It makes me chuckle now.  I never did
get my squirrel meat.  After a week or two the craving for the furry little
beasts ended and I began to crave apples. Apples are easier to catch
🙂

Side Note:  I have never, ever eaten squirrel in my life.