Finally up to 5 ounce bottles. Not every time, but most times. Even had a sixer yesterday.
Natali is doing well. Still not grabbing for stuff, but she is kicking a lot. She knows that those things down there are legs....and she wants to know how to use them.
As I type this she just hit one of the dangling toys above her head. I think she is reading over my shoulder.
She is able to sleep most of the way through the night. From 10:30PMish till 5:00AM ish.
One problem we are having is her thrashing about in the middle of the night between 3-4AM.
She is all swaddled up and content, but moves around a lot. At first I thought it was because her diaper was full and she was uncomfortable. We switched to night time diapers (thanks to Romy for the tip!) and well...last night she still thrashed around.
I picked her up and unswaddled her. She still trashed around....but was sleeping. I don't get it. I held her in bed for a while. Guess she is just an "energetic sleeper".
New car seat arrived. She is so tiny in it. The same way she was tiny in her current car seat back in August.
Still waiting on the new stroller.
Finally a little rant. The company I pay to host my site is fairly large. All of my blogs live on a computer with hundreds of other blogs. One of those other blogs pissed off a black listing company that monitors spam and abuse of websites. That company blacklisted several of the computers at my hosting company. At our house we use AT&T for Internet. AT&T uses this company for blacklisting information. For two days I could not get to my site. Annoyed. My hosting company and AT&T would do nothing for me. It's fixed now, but I'm going to be moving hosting companies soon. Not a happy daddy.
More Natali pics soon.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Another deal
Once again I found a steal of a deal. Today (November 16, 2010) Kids.Woot.com has a steal of a deal on a stroller.
They are selling a Maclaren Carbon Fiber & Leather Stroller for only $149! This stroller was over $1000 as recently as 2007. Even now online at Amazon and Strollers.com it's $600 and $750 respectively.
It's a little scary buying a stroller sight unseen, but all reviews are positive except that the wheels get the canopy dirty. Beyond that it folds up like an umbrella stroller but has all the room of a conventional stoller. Very well built and sturdy. All reviews mention on how well it works even after several kids and years. I have high hopes.
Being black and leather it will go well with my car. Another plus.
We were planning on spending $200+ on a stoller. This one is just $165 including shipping ($5) and tax ($10 as woot.com is based in Dallas). I will post photos when it comes. Might have to buy Natali some bling to be rolling in this thing.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWTHVXO-PFI
They are selling a Maclaren Carbon Fiber & Leather Stroller for only $149! This stroller was over $1000 as recently as 2007. Even now online at Amazon and Strollers.com it's $600 and $750 respectively.
It's a little scary buying a stroller sight unseen, but all reviews are positive except that the wheels get the canopy dirty. Beyond that it folds up like an umbrella stroller but has all the room of a conventional stoller. Very well built and sturdy. All reviews mention on how well it works even after several kids and years. I have high hopes.
Being black and leather it will go well with my car. Another plus.
We were planning on spending $200+ on a stoller. This one is just $165 including shipping ($5) and tax ($10 as woot.com is based in Dallas). I will post photos when it comes. Might have to buy Natali some bling to be rolling in this thing.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWTHVXO-PFI
Monday, November 15, 2010
Being a smart ass is hereditary
Apparently being a smart ass is hereditary.
Natali was having a mini crying fit over the weekend. No matter what I did she squirmed and cried. I handed her off the Kelli. Natali immediately stopped crying, looked back at me and smirked...then giggled and squirmed happily. Nice.
Natali is about an inch away from out growing her car seat. Another month or so...maybe. We borrowed a very nice Britax seat from Eric and Angela. Still need one more.
We have looked at Buy, Buy, Baby for a car seat. They have a nice selection and are very helpful. They had a very nice Sunshine Kids model that folds into a back pack for easy transport....but its still heavy. They also had a Britax model we liked....for $330.
I frequent a site called slickdeals.net. I have found several awesome deals. All the deals are found by users. There are deals on everything from coffee to diapers to yogurt....you name it. This weekend some user posted a deal from Diapers.com on car seats. Britax car seats. The deal was for 45% off. It was a mistake that Diapers.com allowed two discount codes to be used for the same purchase. We paid $180 for a $330 car seat...free shipping. A steal!
We have narrowed down our stroller choices to either a City Mini or a Peg Perego Vela. Both around $200. Both are lightweight and compact for easy airline travel. We will pull the trigger in the next month or so.
Natali is progressing nicely. Still not reaching for things, but will play with a toy if we put it in her hand. She is also much more aware of the relationship between her hand, pacifier and mouth. She will try to put it back in if it falls out. Hasn't been able to do it yet though.
Natali was having a mini crying fit over the weekend. No matter what I did she squirmed and cried. I handed her off the Kelli. Natali immediately stopped crying, looked back at me and smirked...then giggled and squirmed happily. Nice.
Natali is about an inch away from out growing her car seat. Another month or so...maybe. We borrowed a very nice Britax seat from Eric and Angela. Still need one more.
We have looked at Buy, Buy, Baby for a car seat. They have a nice selection and are very helpful. They had a very nice Sunshine Kids model that folds into a back pack for easy transport....but its still heavy. They also had a Britax model we liked....for $330.
I frequent a site called slickdeals.net. I have found several awesome deals. All the deals are found by users. There are deals on everything from coffee to diapers to yogurt....you name it. This weekend some user posted a deal from Diapers.com on car seats. Britax car seats. The deal was for 45% off. It was a mistake that Diapers.com allowed two discount codes to be used for the same purchase. We paid $180 for a $330 car seat...free shipping. A steal!
We have narrowed down our stroller choices to either a City Mini or a Peg Perego Vela. Both around $200. Both are lightweight and compact for easy airline travel. We will pull the trigger in the next month or so.
Natali is progressing nicely. Still not reaching for things, but will play with a toy if we put it in her hand. She is also much more aware of the relationship between her hand, pacifier and mouth. She will try to put it back in if it falls out. Hasn't been able to do it yet though.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The feeling of being powerless
Natali is officially 3 months old. Kelli and I have sustained a life for 3 whole months. Not too shabby for amateurs!
Natali slept a lot today....and last night. I put her to bed at 10:30AM and she woke up after Kelli got up at 5:10AM. She might have slept longer, but I think the light of the bathroom and sounds of Kelli moving about woke her.
She did great today. Sleeping a lot more than normal. It was an awesome day until 1:16PM.
I was about to head out the door when I decided to change her diaper. As I laid her on the changing bad she began to cry.....no not just cry....she screamed a scream of pain.
Stunned. What had I just done. Did I tweak her back? Were there spikes on the changing pad? What!?!??!?
I looked her over. No blood. No bruising. Non-stop crying.
No amount of consoling would help her at first. I began going over the morning events....it hit me. Gas.
I fed her about 2 hours prior. She didn't burp. Didn't think much of it....till now.
My attempts at burping her normally failed. Off to mylicon drops.
We had used them in the past when she was really upset. The most misdiagnosed symptom of babies by parents is that of being gassy. In the past they had an "instant" effect...because she wasn't gassy, she was "cured" by the sweetness of the drops. Today was different.
The drops had ZERO effect on her initially. I walked around the house and patted her back. I felt powerless as I couldn't help my daughter who was writhing in pain. I hated seeing her in so much pain. I kept walking around the house trying to burp her. She would have moments of silence but then go right back into screaming. Tears rolling down her face, it pained me to look at her.
Finally after about 45 minutes she burped...and burped...and burped...and farted...and burped. I had never been so happy to hear burps and farts.
She ate a few ounces and we headed out for our errands.
I know this isn't the last time I will have to see my daughter cry....as long as she doesn't see me cry....it will be okay.
Natali slept a lot today....and last night. I put her to bed at 10:30AM and she woke up after Kelli got up at 5:10AM. She might have slept longer, but I think the light of the bathroom and sounds of Kelli moving about woke her.
She did great today. Sleeping a lot more than normal. It was an awesome day until 1:16PM.
I was about to head out the door when I decided to change her diaper. As I laid her on the changing bad she began to cry.....no not just cry....she screamed a scream of pain.
Stunned. What had I just done. Did I tweak her back? Were there spikes on the changing pad? What!?!??!?
I looked her over. No blood. No bruising. Non-stop crying.
No amount of consoling would help her at first. I began going over the morning events....it hit me. Gas.
I fed her about 2 hours prior. She didn't burp. Didn't think much of it....till now.
My attempts at burping her normally failed. Off to mylicon drops.
We had used them in the past when she was really upset. The most misdiagnosed symptom of babies by parents is that of being gassy. In the past they had an "instant" effect...because she wasn't gassy, she was "cured" by the sweetness of the drops. Today was different.
The drops had ZERO effect on her initially. I walked around the house and patted her back. I felt powerless as I couldn't help my daughter who was writhing in pain. I hated seeing her in so much pain. I kept walking around the house trying to burp her. She would have moments of silence but then go right back into screaming. Tears rolling down her face, it pained me to look at her.
Finally after about 45 minutes she burped...and burped...and burped...and farted...and burped. I had never been so happy to hear burps and farts.
She ate a few ounces and we headed out for our errands.
I know this isn't the last time I will have to see my daughter cry....as long as she doesn't see me cry....it will be okay.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Either way....she doesn't sleep a lot during the day
Natali and I are bonding. Lots of funny faces back and forth. After a few minutes though she gives me the, "Yeah okay I get it, NEXT" look.
She doesn't sleep much during the day. Normally we watch Headline News till around 7:30AM. She then sleeps till around 9:30AM. Takes a bottle, watches a video podcast or two then back to sleep around noon till about 1PM...sometimes. She is then up until 3:50PM when Kelli gets home. Natali visits with Kelli and then is OUT for hours.
I joked with Kelli that Natali doesn't sleep much during the day because:
A. She REALLY likes me being around
B. She is thinking, "No way I'm falling asleep around this guy, he is clueless and might kill me"
C. She's taking every moment in as she doesn't know when I will be leaving again
Either way...she doesn't sleep a lot during the day.
This week it seems like the highlight of my day is the dirty diaper....and guessing when it will come. On bath days I fear her "letting it out" during the bath. So far it hasn't happened.
We did learn a new game today. I poke my finger above and below her lips. She tries to catch it. Eventually she will grasp my hand with her hands and latches onto my finger. We both squirm with delight (don't judge...I can squirm!) and play again.
She's been sleeping in her crib more....which is a good thing...as her bassinet is getting a little small.
She doesn't sleep much during the day. Normally we watch Headline News till around 7:30AM. She then sleeps till around 9:30AM. Takes a bottle, watches a video podcast or two then back to sleep around noon till about 1PM...sometimes. She is then up until 3:50PM when Kelli gets home. Natali visits with Kelli and then is OUT for hours.
I joked with Kelli that Natali doesn't sleep much during the day because:
A. She REALLY likes me being around
B. She is thinking, "No way I'm falling asleep around this guy, he is clueless and might kill me"
C. She's taking every moment in as she doesn't know when I will be leaving again
Either way...she doesn't sleep a lot during the day.
This week it seems like the highlight of my day is the dirty diaper....and guessing when it will come. On bath days I fear her "letting it out" during the bath. So far it hasn't happened.
We did learn a new game today. I poke my finger above and below her lips. She tries to catch it. Eventually she will grasp my hand with her hands and latches onto my finger. We both squirm with delight (don't judge...I can squirm!) and play again.
She's been sleeping in her crib more....which is a good thing...as her bassinet is getting a little small.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Natali is Natali.....and I'm okay with that
Natali will be 3 months old this week.....wow.
Yesterday we headed over to Wiley for lunch with Eric, Angela and Marin along with Jeff, Keri, Davis and Katelyn.
Jeff is one of my fraternity brothers. Jeff and his wife Keri had twins (one boy/one girl) on July 25th. So Davis and Katelyn are about 2 weeks older than Natali.
What a difference two weeks make...I hope.
Davis and Katelyn were content the entire afternoon. They ate, then laid on their backs and played with a toy and then quietly went to sleep in their car seats. Not Natali.
Natali was fussy. She didn't care to be put down. We fed her and waited. She was tired, but wouldn't sleep, fussy all afternoon.
At first I was a little upset with Natali. She is normally not this fussy. Here were these two twins, barely older than her, that were super chill. They were drinking 7 ounce bottles!!!!! Natali just got to 4 ounces. Ok I was more than a little upset. After thinking about it all night I came to the conclusion that yes all kids are different and I shouldn't discount Natali for being who she is. We also realized that she gets excited when new people are around and need to feed her more as...well she gets more hungry.
Enough of my rant.
Natali is getting bigger everyday. We did our own height measurement the other day and she is about 23 1/2 inches long.
Her personality is coming out more and more. Lots more quiet giggles and a ton of "oh Daddy you know I love you and you love me no matter how much I can be cranky" smiles.
My first week at home was a little rough. I am sure we will get in our groove soon.
Natali can't read yet...or tell time, so I will forgive her for a bit as her time is still off by an hour. Daylight savings time had no effect on her. She still got up around 3AM (now 2AM) ready to eat. She then got up at 5:30AM (now 4:30AM) ready to watch Headline News.
We looked at car seats yesterday. Natali is about to outgrow her infant seat. I came to the horrifying realization that traveling with her soon won't be so easy.
Right now we can keep her in her car seat in the car, pop in in the stroller, then use the same seat on the plane. Not for long.
Buy Buy Baby has the biggest selection of car seats AND employees who know everything about car seats (Babies' R Us is severely lacking in this area). An employee spent a good 30 minutes with us asking us about our lifestyle and what we want. We found a Sunshine Kids car seat (for about $250) that is a very safe seat that converts to a backpack for traveling. That will be our main seat in my car. For Kelli's car we looked at a few Britax car seats (also around $250). For a stroller we are going to go with a City Mini (about $230). The stroller folds up with one handle. Awesome.
Our current car seat rocks for two reasons; 1)Given to us by a family friend 2)Great brand. Once again a family friend helped us out. Eric and Angela are loaning us a very nice Britax car seat that Marin used. We can use it until Angela gets knocked up.....which probably isn't going to happen anytime soon.
Yesterday we headed over to Wiley for lunch with Eric, Angela and Marin along with Jeff, Keri, Davis and Katelyn.
Jeff is one of my fraternity brothers. Jeff and his wife Keri had twins (one boy/one girl) on July 25th. So Davis and Katelyn are about 2 weeks older than Natali.
What a difference two weeks make...I hope.
Davis and Katelyn were content the entire afternoon. They ate, then laid on their backs and played with a toy and then quietly went to sleep in their car seats. Not Natali.
Natali was fussy. She didn't care to be put down. We fed her and waited. She was tired, but wouldn't sleep, fussy all afternoon.
At first I was a little upset with Natali. She is normally not this fussy. Here were these two twins, barely older than her, that were super chill. They were drinking 7 ounce bottles!!!!! Natali just got to 4 ounces. Ok I was more than a little upset. After thinking about it all night I came to the conclusion that yes all kids are different and I shouldn't discount Natali for being who she is. We also realized that she gets excited when new people are around and need to feed her more as...well she gets more hungry.
Enough of my rant.
Natali is getting bigger everyday. We did our own height measurement the other day and she is about 23 1/2 inches long.
Her personality is coming out more and more. Lots more quiet giggles and a ton of "oh Daddy you know I love you and you love me no matter how much I can be cranky" smiles.
My first week at home was a little rough. I am sure we will get in our groove soon.
Natali can't read yet...or tell time, so I will forgive her for a bit as her time is still off by an hour. Daylight savings time had no effect on her. She still got up around 3AM (now 2AM) ready to eat. She then got up at 5:30AM (now 4:30AM) ready to watch Headline News.
We looked at car seats yesterday. Natali is about to outgrow her infant seat. I came to the horrifying realization that traveling with her soon won't be so easy.
Right now we can keep her in her car seat in the car, pop in in the stroller, then use the same seat on the plane. Not for long.
Buy Buy Baby has the biggest selection of car seats AND employees who know everything about car seats (Babies' R Us is severely lacking in this area). An employee spent a good 30 minutes with us asking us about our lifestyle and what we want. We found a Sunshine Kids car seat (for about $250) that is a very safe seat that converts to a backpack for traveling. That will be our main seat in my car. For Kelli's car we looked at a few Britax car seats (also around $250). For a stroller we are going to go with a City Mini (about $230). The stroller folds up with one handle. Awesome.
Our current car seat rocks for two reasons; 1)Given to us by a family friend 2)Great brand. Once again a family friend helped us out. Eric and Angela are loaning us a very nice Britax car seat that Marin used. We can use it until Angela gets knocked up.....which probably isn't going to happen anytime soon.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
220.....221....whatever it takes
Ron Richardson: Yeah? Are you gonna make it all 220?
Jack Butler: Yeah. 220... 221, whatever it takes
Day 3 of being Mr. Mom. So far so good.
Each morning starts the same. Natali wakes up between 3AM and 4:30AM. Kelli leaves at 6AM. I then turn on Headline News/The local news and lay in bed. Natali is already normally awake. I prop her up in the bed and we watch the news together.
Monday we made did a few errands. Stopped by Target for post Halloween shopping and to pick up some formula. We then swung by Lowes to get supplies so I could install a dimmer in the living room. All went well. Natali pooped right at noon. I did fine.
Tuesday was cold and rainy. Once again right at noon came the dirty diaper. I figured as long as she stayed on schedule I could prep myself. I didn't leave home until Kelli got home. Natali slept a lot...past 7PM. Bad. Tried to wake her up at 9:30PM to get a good feeding in before bedtime. She was like a drunk teenager. Eyes half open, bobbing about. I got 2 1/2 ounces down though.
Today she woke up at 3AM slightly agitated, but not fussy. She took 4 ounces and then surprised me with a poop. So much for staying on schedule. We watched the news and then Up in the Air. Natali is much more expressive now. While watching the movie on the floor I placed her one her back and made funny faces. She enjoyed it and giggled and smiled a lot. I then decided we needed a trip to Grapevine Mills Mall. First I wanted coffee. Got a new huge mug, wanted some coffee from Quick Trip. Brought Natali inside. Don't know how people with two kids do this. No way I could control two kids and get coffee.
Natali had been up since 7 AM. She might have slept in the car on the way to the mall. Awake at the mall for a good 90 minutes. Fed her once while there. She might have slept on the 20 minute ride home. Awake once I got home. She slept maybe 40 minutes between noon and 4PM. Not fussy....just not wanting to sleep.
It will be a challenge keeping myself busy over the next two months.
Jack Butler: Yeah. 220... 221, whatever it takes
Day 3 of being Mr. Mom. So far so good.
Each morning starts the same. Natali wakes up between 3AM and 4:30AM. Kelli leaves at 6AM. I then turn on Headline News/The local news and lay in bed. Natali is already normally awake. I prop her up in the bed and we watch the news together.
Monday we made did a few errands. Stopped by Target for post Halloween shopping and to pick up some formula. We then swung by Lowes to get supplies so I could install a dimmer in the living room. All went well. Natali pooped right at noon. I did fine.
Tuesday was cold and rainy. Once again right at noon came the dirty diaper. I figured as long as she stayed on schedule I could prep myself. I didn't leave home until Kelli got home. Natali slept a lot...past 7PM. Bad. Tried to wake her up at 9:30PM to get a good feeding in before bedtime. She was like a drunk teenager. Eyes half open, bobbing about. I got 2 1/2 ounces down though.
Today she woke up at 3AM slightly agitated, but not fussy. She took 4 ounces and then surprised me with a poop. So much for staying on schedule. We watched the news and then Up in the Air. Natali is much more expressive now. While watching the movie on the floor I placed her one her back and made funny faces. She enjoyed it and giggled and smiled a lot. I then decided we needed a trip to Grapevine Mills Mall. First I wanted coffee. Got a new huge mug, wanted some coffee from Quick Trip. Brought Natali inside. Don't know how people with two kids do this. No way I could control two kids and get coffee.
Natali had been up since 7 AM. She might have slept in the car on the way to the mall. Awake at the mall for a good 90 minutes. Fed her once while there. She might have slept on the 20 minute ride home. Awake once I got home. She slept maybe 40 minutes between noon and 4PM. Not fussy....just not wanting to sleep.
It will be a challenge keeping myself busy over the next two months.
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