No Ice Cream for Me

Last week we took Gwen for her 2 month healthy baby check up.  It was a hard appointment, watching her get two shots - one in each leg at the same time... she let out that "That really hurt me you awful nurses" cry that breaks my heart.  We picked her right up and then breastfed her right away to calm her down and get her to fall asleep.  She slept all the way home and then once we got home for about two hours until she woke up and belted out that heart breaking cry again.  She usually wakes up happy and bright eyed but not this time!  I tried to comfort her and feed her but she still screamed in pain.  I took her diaper off to find two bright red and swollen little thighs...  After a does of some baby tylenol she eventually fell back asleep...  She now weights 10lbs 7oz+ and is 23 inches long.  She is still in the 25 percentile for weight and 50th for height.  We also talked to the pediatrician about how she has had some mucusy blood in her stool occasionally (sorry if that is too much information).  However, she is not fussy or gassy and is still gaining weight.  I was instructed to cut diary out of my diet to see if things improved, which might take up to a month.  So, now in our fridge we have vegan butter, soy milk and coconut milk - yummy.  I have not ventured into the soy cheese arena, I am not sure I can do it and sorbet is going to have to hold me over for now.  Surprisingly, it has not been that bad and I would do anything for this little nugget; i've never had the willpower before to give up cheese or ice cream - two of my favorites.  Here she is today, loving life and we are LOVING HER!

Two Months

The second month of Gwendolyn's life has been very exciting and every day we love our little bugger even more.  This month we had many more visitors including Brian's family from Cincinnati and my Grandmother and aunts from Pennsylvania.  The first day of month two Gwen gave us her first real smile and has been smiling more and more every day.  She has also become quite the chatter box - ooooing, ahhhing and screeching.  Gwen went with us to a Super Bowl party to watch the New England Patriots blow it and has been great on car rides to see her Nana and Papa.  Every day we ask why we got so lucky with such a well behaved and adorable little girl.  She sleeps, eats, grunts, smiles and then falls back to sleep again.  She is averaging 7 hours of continuous sleep at night making us very happy!  She started the month off at 8lbs. 4 ounces and 21 inches long and goes to the doctor again next week for her 2 month check up.  I bet she will be 10+ lbs.  She is wearing size 3 months in most things and even 3-6 months in a few of her outfits.  She has spent most of this month in cloth diapers - both mom and dad have gotten very smooth with changings however it doesn't stop her from peeing on the changing table every time!  We can't wait to see what next month will bring.

Gwen's Top Ten

On Wednesday Gwendolyn will be 8 weeks!  It is very hard to believe.  As the days pass by I am becoming more anxious about going back to work.  I am looking forward to going but I am not looking forward to leaving my little baby in the care of someone else... I am sure these are normal feelings and I hope that a visit to the daycare center again will put my nerves at ease.

In these last 8 weeks we have tested out lots of baby gear and products and have found which ones work best for us and Little G.  Here is our list of top ten products that we use and love every day!

Number 10 is the Avent Twin Electric Breast Pump. I have gotten used to pumping and can express a good portion of milk with this contraption.  It is easy to use and clean.  It is also very quiet.  It is a dual electric pump but I have found that I really only use one pump at a time - I like to have one hand free.  I am sure when I am trying to pump more milk quickly at work I will like the dual pump feature.

Number 9 is the JJ Cole Bundleme.  This car seat cover has been a blessing this winter.  Maybe in the future we will think about trying to plan a baby around the seasons, but for now not having to bundle Gwen up and really make her mad every time we jump in the car do run errands is great.  This cover is warm and easy to adjust and fit to the car seat straps.  It is also big enough that it might even work next winter.

Number 8 is Grandma El's diaper rash ointment.  This barrier cream is great for cleaning a rash and preventing diaper rash.  It is cloth diaper friendly, natural, not tested on animals and all that great stuff.  It is not overly scented.  It is a little on the pricey side ($10.00 for a 2oz tube) but I just bought a new tube because it is worth it and why not stick with what works?

Number 7 is the Baby Bjorn. We use the Bjorn a lot!  I use it when we go on walks, do errands or when Brian and I go out on the town... Hahaha that doesn't really happen.  It is easy to put on and take off and adjust to fit both of us.  It is still a little big for Gwen.  We tuck her arms in instead of putting them through the arm holes but she is very content in it and falls a sleep as soon as we start moving around.  I would like to try and Ergo Baby to see how they compare.

Number 6 is a Thirsties Duo Diaper.  Gwen has been in cloth diapers 100% of the time for the last two weeks.  She has added some thigh fat which has helped the cloth diapers to fit her better.  We are using diaper covers and pre-folds during the day and pocket diapers during the night.  So far so good!  Brian and I both have it down and leaks have been very seldom.  Our favorite diaper cover brand is Thirsties. These covers are made in the USA which is great, prevent leaks on skinny babies and come is great patterns and colors.  The Duo Diaper is a pocket diaper.  We stuff a hemp/cotton and microfiber insert in the diaper under the stay dry fleece top sleeve. The leg gussets fit Gwen's skinny legs great, keeping everything inside the diaper.  I never knew I could be so excited by diapers but these are great ones!

Number 5 are Avent pacifiers.  Gwen is a sucker!  She is constantly trying to find her fingers to suck on even when she is not hungry.  When she sucks on something she is instantly soothed.  Early on I thought she always wanted the boob only to find that I was over feeding her which resulted in a very gassy and uncomfortable baby.  So now, we know that if she needs to be settled before she falls asleep or when she wakes up she takes the pacifier better and better every day.  She is still trying to find her fingers but has not mastered the coordination quite yet.  For now these are keepers and I try to have them where I need them at all times. I am thinking of getting two more just to keep in the car for who knows when.

Numbers 4 through 1 are all tied for first place.  We love all 4 of these items equally!  

If I Were a Zebra was just given to us by Brian's aunt.  It is a great book and so far Gwen's favorite.  She coo's and squeeks and smiles at the Zebra hoping that he will talk back to her.  Really, I think she loves the contrasting stripes.  She also has a stuffed zebra that my sister made her for Christmas.  She also carries on long conversations with him as well.  These are Gwen's favorite things to look at while she is airing out or just hanging out in her crib.

Finally, to top off the list, we could not live without Summer Swaddleme's or her Fisher Price Rock n' Play which we call her sidecar.  Since Gwen wants so badly to suck on her fingers she cannot fall asleep without being swaddled.  As she got stronger and stronger she got out of even the best receiving blanket swaddle, but she has been stumped by the velcro of her swaddleme and I have attributed her 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night to these wonderful inventions.  She is still sleeping in our room next to the bed.  She sleeps and naps in her sidecar.  This sleeper keeps her reclined and cozy.  It is also very easy to fold up and take with us.  No need to lug the pack n' play around just yet.  Eventually, we will need to transition her into her crib but for now I am not messing with 8 hours of sleep a night!

Gwennie

Yesterday marked 6 weeks - which I cannot believe.  Gwendolyn is doing great, getting bigger, smiling more and more and sleeping longer and longer.  Last night she slept for 6 hours in a row!  More sleep makes for a happier mommy!  However, she has been laying in her cradle for the past hour and her eyes are still wide open... Today I screwed with her schedule though.  I had a hair appointment at 2 so her late morning/early afternoon nap was cut short and I tried to feed her when she wasn't really hungry...  And once we are off schedule - the way the rest of the day will go is unpredictable.  So, to really throw a wrench in things I decided that today would be her first full day in cloth diapers and so far so good!  Only one little leak.  I think we both have to adjust to the extra bulk but I have noticed an improvement in her diaper rash already!  So far I am liking the Rumparoozs cover with a pre-fold, fleece liner and a snappi.  I think we are going to use Apple Cheeks for bedtime.