9 months
DJ you are getting so big and so grown up. I can’t keep up with you!
In addition to becoming more of an expert at crawling and pulling up you recently started letting go an standing for a second or two. You will also walk if we hold your hands (before you would just stand there).
You love your food. You are becoming so independent and want to do it by yourself which turns into a mess! You do great picking up the smallest pieces though and holding on tight to the big ones! You still love to nurse and respond to the word “milk” with excited noises.
At your nine month check up you were 19 pounds and 4 ounces and 27 inches long. This puts you right about the 75th percentile.
Hard to believe you have now spent more time in this world then you did in my belly.
Backyard progress
We are finally making progress. Amazing the instant change sod makes!
I am “Mom Enough”
We have all heard about the Time magazine cover and I love this response to it. Please read and feel free to sign the petition to bring the USA up to speed with better maternity leave coverage.
Baby Emergency Room Bag/Kit List
A while back, I read a post by Parenthetical Me about having a bag packed in case your little one needs to go to the ER. There were some really great tips there. I’ve spent my fair share of time in the hospital and know how some key items can really make your stay SO much nicer.
On the day DJ turned 8 months old, she was running a fever. J took her to the doctor that afternoon and they didn’t see too much (no ear infection, no cough, etc) so they gave her a prescription and sent them home. By the time I got off of work, I came home to find baby and daddy snuggling for a nap on the couch. It was so sweet until she woke up and was burning up. We thought it may have been because of the close body heat, but after an hour her fever was still really high. J ran to the store and I called the on call doctor. After an hour we decided it was time to head to the ER because she wasn’t responding to the tylenol/motrin and was breathing rapidly (babies under a year should be about 50 breaths per minute, she was closer to 70/min).
Here is the list of things we packed knowing that it probably would be a long stay. We figured either we were being over reacting first time parents so they would take their time to treat us or this really was serious and we would be stuck there for a while.
Medical -
- Times and Dosages the baby was given medication in the past 24 hours – Its actually helpful to just bring the boxes of any medication you have given
- History of illness and any allergies
Supplies For Baby -
- Pajamas without feet (x2) – Its great to hook monitors and IV’s up to their feet if possible but only if they have their feet accessible. Also easy to unbutton to get to their chest for listening to their heart/breathing.
- Socks (x2) – Socks to cover up the monitors and blinky lights that are on the toes
- Baby washcloth – When the baby is running a fever or spits up its nice to have a soft wash cloth to wipe their face
- Baby blanket – We brought a muslin blanket which was perfect when she was running a fever but in the cold A/C of the ER
- Boogie Wipes – After the tears of being sick and then poked and prodded the last thing we wanted to do was wipe her nose with a hard hospital tissue. Boogie wipes or soft tissues are great
- Baby food/formula – Its great to have what the baby is accustomed to
- Diaper rash cream – This is considered a medication so you aren’t supposed to use your own, but when on the prescriptions babies often get a rash and its nice to use the type of cream you know works on your baby.
Extras for Baby -
- Plastic toys – If something falls on the hospital floor you want to be able to wipe it off. Toys are also good when they are bored or during procedures
- Disinfecting wipes – Good to wipe toys/chairs etc off
Mom and Dad Supplies -
- Granola bars – who knows when you’ll be able to eat next
- Cash/change – for parking and vending machines
- Pen/notebook or log in your phone – write down nurses names, shift changes, when medication was administered etc. We have caught so many hospital mistakes this way
- Extra change of clothes – you may need an extra layer for the cold or may get stains, etc.
- Throw in a toothbrush just in case because it makes you feel like a new person when you can brush your teeth!
The biggest thing I want to stress though is be your child’s advocate. Ask many many many questions. Why are you doing this, how is it supposed to help, how soon can we expect to see improvement, what kind of side effects can we expect, what are our other options, can we wait to do this later (especially when they want to do vitals right after baby has fallen asleep), will this interact with other treatments, etc etc etc.
We were very lucky that we had about an hour to get packed up before we decided to actually go to the hospital, but next time it may be more of a “dash out the door”. Also, we were lucky that we were seen in the ER right away and were there for about 8 hours and then admitted to the Pediatric ward were they had a lot more kid friendly gear.
Keep this list or a packed bag handy!
Long Day for the little one
This was our sweet little girl after the five minute ride home from daycare this week. Sound asleep but can’t stop holding onto her favorite pink poodle and a little drool from teething and remnants of a cold.
She has been so funny this week about holding on to things. It started with pink poodle (she loves the string legs) but then she started getting other things. One morning before daycare she found some baby wrist rattles and wouldn’t let go of them. Another morning it was a pair of toddler slippers. Every time she screams if I try to take them away (even just to buckle her in her car seat). it’s kinda cute and always keeps us on our toes.
Baby proofing the fireplace
Now that DJ is crawling all over the place and pulling up, we knew it was time to tackle the baby proofing. The smaller stuff was easy to do including plug outlet covers and locking the cabinets. We did have one unfortunate lamp that was pulled over so cords are now tied and tucked away. However, we still had one looming thing to baby proof. Our giant brick hearth on the fireplace.
I knew pretty early on that I didn’t want to mess with options from the store like little foam bumpers that cover the edge. I didn’t think they would stay on well and didn’t think they would really protect from scratches and bumps on the sides and top of the brick.
So, we came up with a DIY idea. We built a frame out of some cheap wood and covered in foam and fabric. It really wasn’t that hard although a bit more expensive then we anticipated (we didn’t really feel like we had a choice so we just built it without thinking about budget before hand).
First, we built the frame in the garage based on some measurements. We had to account for a small cutout in the top for the actual fireplace.
Sorry, J wouldn’t stop working for a picture so its blurry!
Here is the frame once its almost done on the fireplace. We added a few more supports on the top just so it helped keep its shape.
After the frame was done we took some rough measurements and went to the store to get some foam (I think we got 1″ foam) and some fabric that was on clearance (3 yards I think). We stapled the foam to the frame which was hard because the foam was so thick but just enough to hold it in place under the fabric. We covered the top, front, and sides with foam. After that, we laid out the fabric on the foam and then I hand sewed a side panel on either side. Its not the prettiest thing but it certainly does its job!
Overall, I think we spent about $100 on this, but I did find other similar options that were thousands of dollars so we feel it was well spent. It adds more seating to our room and we don’t have to worry at all with DJ crawls over and pulls up!
Cloth Diaper Review – Charlie Bananas
A while ago, Zulily had some cloth diapers for sale and I thought I would try them out.
Type – Pocket Diaper but marketed as a hybrid or AI2 because they sell disposable inserts for these.
Features -
- Pocket opening in the front of the diaper
- Flap covering the opening (unlike fuzzibunz which seemed unfinished to me)
- Comes with two full size inserts
- Microfleece inside instead of the BG microsuede
- We chose to purchase the sized diapers, but Charlie Bananas do come in OS.
Price -
I got these off zulily for about $14 each but I think they are normally more like $18 each.
Although it took forever for these diapers to arrive, we have been really happy with them! The PUL is super soft and the inserts are really nice. It seems like the microfleece inside is holding up from piling better than the Fuzzibuns.
I really love the print of this diaper that we purchased, but the other colors are REALLY pretty as well.
As soon as I get a good picture of DJ wearing this I will update!
8 months
We have had so much fun with DJ this month. She is crawling all over the house and pulling up on furniture. They say at daycare they have to keep an eye on her otherwise she will crawl right over the little babies. She is “talking” a lot more but still no real words. We think we may be getting close to knowing the sign language sign for “milk”. We practice that one every night when I sit on the couch and Daddy brings you over to nurse.
DJ is eating a lot of solids. About three 3-4 ounce servings a day plus breast milk still. Favorite foods still are puffs (#1) and squash, sweet potatoes and apple sauce.
Easter we went to church with Uncle Chuck and then out to breakfast where we let you naw on your first piece of wheat toast. You loved it especially because you could do it yourself.
You also live being outside and watching animals. Mason is your best buddy although he’s still not sure about you crawling on him. At Grandmas house you love to watch the neighbors horses and kick your legs and squeal when they move.
Sadly last night (4/11) you had to take you to the ER for a chest infection. We are still here but you are looking much better already.
You are getting so big at 19 and a half pounds! Hard to believe you are so big. I guess we don’t notice how heavy you are quite as much since you are crawling.
Pictures from the month:
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter!
Baptism
I am so excited that we have finally agreed on a weekend for DJ’s baptism. It has been really hard finding a good weekend that would meet our needs so J and I had to think about our priorities and why we were doing this. In the end we determined that what was most important was our family and friends would be there to welcome DJ into the church.
I am excited to share a mock up of the invitations! I only ordered 10 (just for immediate family and one for the baby book) but we really hope everyone feels welcome to attend.
