Where to Eat...

"So I was in the bathroom this morning, eating an awesome fried egg sandwich and...What? You think there's something wrong with eating in the bathroom? Did that gross you out? Then why do people suggest breastfeeding mothers feed their babies in the bathroom? If you're a fan of parents and babies rights, put this up as your status."
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This is a line going around facebook. I love it. When I first read it my first reaction was.... gross why are you eating in the bathroom.... until I finished reading the update.


But it is true. As you all probably know, I am 1000000% for breastfeeding. I love it. Evie loves it. We have learned to do it discreatly out in public, most of the time. If I am around people that I don't think are comfortable with it, I do use my nursing cover. But, I would prefer not to. I still use it and will continue to use it since my dad or inlaws don't want the possibility of seeing that.


I have learned how to breastfeed without anything showing. Ahh the wonders of layering a tank under any shirt!


I have not gone out much when Evie is starving. Usually it is Mom's Group that I nurse her in in public. I learned how to do it gracefully (as if I could ever use that word...I am anything but gracefull). 


So I guess the point of this post is pretty much to say.....


People should be allowed to nurse their children where they want. As long as they do it subtly. Like no whipping out your boob for a minute while you posistion your baby. If you are getting the hang of it, a nursing cover helps. Practice at home and get used to doing it out in public without much showing. I am all for anyone should do it how they want to and educate everyone around, but can do it without a full on boobs would be preferable for most (but I do want one of those boob hats for Evie one day!). I don't care if someone whips their boob out, but I know there are people out there that would be uncomfortable. But a few seconds of it out, ehh who cares. It is anatomy and it is a feeding device! 

And on that topic, I love being to go out, not have to worry about bringing enough formula/bottles. Not lugging extra things around. Not having to warm anything up. Not having to worry about bubbles in formula I shake. Just to be able to feed my daugher so easily, and satisfy that hunger so quickly (thought she wants me to feed her quicker....she loves her food).

I would never give up breastfeeding. I so love it! Love looking down at her big eyes (whos color change daily). Her looking up at me. Stroking my hair. Playing with my shirt. Moments I will never forget. 

I want to get a good picture of Evie and I nursing. Just not sure where. I have taken some with my cell phone, but not sharable. It is just something I love to do and something we both share that I would love a good picture of it to always remember. One of my online friends has a fantastic picture of her nursing he daughter out on a hike. Nothing but nature around, but her sitting on a rock (I think) nursing. Just something so perfect about that. I want a picture like that too. One to look back on and be proud, happy, full of joy.

Starting to go of on a tangent now so  I am going to stop.

Just my 2 cents. 

I am so lucky!

Really. I am so lucky!

Nick has been awesome lately. Yep I am praising my husband here!

I get home around 5 with Evie. Feed her dinner. Give her a bath (now a daily occurrence with baking soda). Evie bum naked time. Get her ready for bed. And down for bed at 7ish. Nick gets home around 6ish. So I don't have much time to cook lately if we want to eat at a decent hour.

He has been helping me so much! Usually when nursing Evie right before bed, and getting her ready for bed, he has been making dinner! I know the guy who knew how to warm up a hotdog and make mac and cheese is actually starting to learn how to cook! Not complicated stuff, but still real meals!

Like last night. I showered after Evie went down since it is easier to squeeze in a shower at night than in the mornings. Nick started dinner. Chicken Sausages, Asparagus, and Baked Beans! Was a tasty and satisfying meal.

Yes I still get to cook. Usually on the weekends. I try to make a few extra things to use during the week or put in our deep freezer. I still get things together to put in the crock pot (usually weekly).

But it has been so helpful that he has been helping with dinner! I really do appreciate it. (He also washes my pump parts in the evenings!). Definitely helps make the evenings a little smoother and a little healthier than warming something up quickly (though they are still quick meals and not always healthy).

I am trying to get him to make Jambalaya on Friday, since we are expecting 6inches to a foot of snow. Sounds like something good for a snowy day! Yes this guy makes a damn good Jumbalaya! mmm mouth watering for it!

Evie is learning to feed herself!

Yep that is right. I was surprised by it too on Thursday.

When making her dinner, I put her in the high chair and wheel her into the kitchen. I break up some puffs and put them on the tray. She plays with them. And she brings them to her mouth. They don't always get in, but she is getting the idea! She is even starting to chew them!

Yes I am a proud mamma!

Cloth Diaper U

So just a quick little write up about a sorority friend's cloth diaper business.

http://www.clothdiaperu.com/

Jenn is one of the owners. She has been cloth diapering her child for a while and has had the guts to start her own cloth diaper business. With not many real stores around, it is great to talk to someone about cloth diapers, challenges, products, etc.

Her selection is growing all the time. She turned me on to some awesome wet bags I was not sure about.

Give them a look and try them out!  They are also on facebook!

Dairy....

I have not really had/enjoyed dairy for 7 months. About a few weeks into breastfeeding Evie, I noticed she was fussier and had skin issues every time I had real dairy. So I cut most of it from my diet and she was happier and her skin was not as broken out, dry, etc

Since then I have a little here, a little there. Like a little parm on pasta, or a small amount of cheddar in a taco. But nothing much.

Once and a while I did cheat and have something tasty. And Evie paid for it. So feeling bad, still doing the non dairy thing.

This sucks. You do not realize how many things out there have dairy in them until you cannot have them. Going to lunch, I really have to search the menu for something non dairy. Everything seems to have some sort of cheese in it.

But I have found some great non dairy treats. coconut milk ice cream bars...to die for! Almond Milk..omg (but I am taking a break to see if this caused Evie's diaper rash issues). Have learned to live without cheese for the most part. This local pizza place makes a fantastic non cheese pizza (even though I know/am pretty sure it has butter on the crust).

But I am sick of it. Recently tried some dairy, then Evie had diaper rash issues. Could be related to the new foods she consumed. Could be related to her diapers needed to be stripped. Could be related to she just needed to air out her bum. Whole different post and will update soon about that. So I am back to the no dairy thing.

I will try dairy again when she is 9 months (1.5 months!). I don't think it is a lactose thing. I think it is a dairy cow protein thing.

Just sometimes I want a large glass of cold milk (Drinking it throughout my pregnancy with Evie got me liking it and sometimes still want some), some ice cream, a grilled cheese sandwich, some cheesy pizza. But nope. Evie being happy and on breast milk is so much more important than me having dairy.

Win Diapers

Kelly Wels is giving away a fantastic package of cloth diapers! These are some of our favorite coth diapers. My husband loves them too. Babysitters find them easy. Day care (who is now finally cloth diapering for us!) is impressed with them and finds them just as easy as disposables!

This would be a great package for anyone starting their cloth diaper adventure. It would also be great for us to generate our aplix cloth diaper stash for day care to help my working mom schedule be a little easier so I can do wash every 3 days.

Enter to win. Such a great sweepstakes!
Go to her facebook sweepstakes page here and enter
And go to her blog and read about it too!

You could win
14 bumgenius 4.0 cloth diapers with inserts
1 bumgenius diaper sprayer
1 bumgenius diaper pail

Go enter!

Cloth Diapers at Day Care!

Yep! You read that title right. We are now using cloth diapers at day care!!!!!!!!!

It all started last last Thursday (Feb 24). That morning went to get Evie to start the day, get ready for work/day care, etc. Saw that she scratched up her forhead bad at night. Lovely. She does this once and a while. So I put some Aquaphor on it since usually it helps heal and hydrate the scratched skin.

Brought her to day care, saying that she scratched her head last night, they noticed immediately too. I said to please put some Aquaphor on it randomly throughout the day to help it heal. Once at work, probably 30 minutes after I dropped her off I got a call from day care. They said they think it looks infected and wanted me to bring her to the pediatrician.

Had to wait till 9 for the pediatrician's office to open. Called and made an appointment around lunch time.

So the benefit of this appointment is that the doctor FINALLY got to see Evie's bum in a disposable. And she was surprised how red and irritated it looked. She believed me that it was better in cloth. She prescribed a cream for Evie's forehead since it was slightly infected (totally healed now). And the best part about the visit - She wrote a prescription for day care to use cloth diapers!!!!!! She said that yes Evie does have eczema (which surprise surprise, I have sensitive skin, my mom has eczema now, my grandmother has to use hypoallergenic lotions and makeup, my uncle had eczema as a child, my dad's side is all full of allergies...should have figured this out).

So we have to make sure to lather her up with lotions, at least twice a day. Always moisturize her head. Always have the humidifier on (we had been doing this all winter anyways). And her skin is better and she is less itchy.

So cloth at day care. They were not thrilled at first. Were trying to convince me to try different brands of disposables. They did not know how modern cloth diapers are. They thought they would have to deal with safety pins (haha). Told me the state regulations I have to go by. But in the end they said they would try it!

So what we have to do:
Provide a trash can outside the building with a lid on it to hold the dirty diapers
Provide enough diapers for 1.5-2 days in case she uses a lot
Provide bags for the dirty diapers to go in (each diaper has to be in its own bag in the trash can, state regulation)

Not bad. I have brought them a lot of grocery bags to use and have a handful of wetbags we use. I am getting more gradually so we won't have to use grocery bags, since I rarely get them at home since we use our canvas bags.

And after almost 2 weeks things are going well. Her bum is rarely irritated. Sometimes it gets easily dry. We do slather it in California Baby Calendula Cream at each diaper change to make sure her bum stays hydrated. Sometimes at home I also use some lanolin cream to really moisturize it.

But they are not complaining about it anymore. I don't think it is as much of a hassle as they were expecting. They are amazed at the modern cloth diapers (we use pocket, bumgenius, rumparooz and blueberry (on the way from their clearance section)). We only use aplix (velcro) at day care to make it easier on them and make them as close to disposables as possible.

And the great thing - NO MORE BLOWOUTS! Yes! Evie is a pooper. She poops about 2-4 times a day. And probably 2-3 times a week she would need an outfit change in disposables. But in almost 2 weeks not one (bet I am jinxing myself now).

But yes so happy with this! And so is Evie!

Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday. I was supposed to go to Mass with Evie this morning, but we could just not get out the door in time. The plan is to leave work a little early so I can grab her from day care, feed her dinner and go to the 5:30 mass (hopefully Nick will be able to join!).

It was so much easier when I was in catholic school to go to holy day masses. Well for one I had little responsibilities. And two, they planned the school schedule around mass. Going before or after work is hard, especially with a baby. The 5:30 mass will be interesting. Her tired time of day. Hopefully it won't be too long.

Now the question is, do they do ashes on babies foreheads?

So during lent I have decided what I am giving up. My computer usage in the evenings. No facebook game playing. No looking at facebook or message boards. What I will let myself do is upload pictures and post on facebook and my photo blog to share with family across the country.

I am giving up meat today, and Fridays during lent. But I am not fasting. I really cannot fast while nursing. I really need to keep my calories up so I can produce enough milk for Evie. Especially since I am producing just enough and I really do not want that to dip. According to Catholic doctrine I don't have to fast or give up meat.

Oh and Nick is with me on giving up meat on Fridays!