14 Month Update

Well I feel like it's been forever.  One of these days I'm going to get back into the groove of writing more frequently.

(Guesses, she goes to the doctor for her 15month checkup next month)
Weight: 24lbs
Height: 31"


EATING
So many changes here since our last update at 12 months.  She never gave us any problems with the transition from breastmilk to whole milk at 1 year, so that was wonderful.  She now drinks about 18oz a day of whole milk (a bottle before morning nap, bottle before afternoon nap, bottle before bedtime).  The rest of the day she drinks a sippy cup of diluted juice (1/3 juice and 2/3 water).  Her favorite juice seems to be Apple but she also accepts Pear, White Grape, and Apple Prune.

She will accept just about any soft-spout sippy cup now, but her favorite is this sippy spout top on her regular 9oz Avent bottles.




She's doing better with eating cut up pieces of food (she used to like biting off bigger pieces).  She does not like her fingers getting sticky, so if we give her anything like pb&j (she likes the grape Uncrustables) she likes to bite off of a bigger piece or she wants us to feed it to her piece by piece.  Little clean freak ;)

Foods she has tried-- refried beans, chicken noodle soup, cool whip, yogurt bites, puffs and lil'crunchies from Gerber, steamed carrots, cut up banana, cut up peach, cantaloupe, parmesan cheese straws, Maple flavor mini-pancakes, tater tots, white grapes

Foods she loves--guacamole, crescent rolls, breadsticks, potato soup, half a banana, fried pickles, animal crackers, Garden Tomato & Veggie Dip Gerber Crunchies, Blueberry & Purple Sweet Potato Puffs from Pluum, Spinach Apple Kale teething crackers from Pluum,  mashed potatoes, cocktail meatballs, brownies, oreo truffles, chicken & rice, french fries, any type of chicken, turkey lunchmeat, breakfast casserole (ham, sausage & egg), strawberries, grits, Gerber yogurt (blueberry, strawberry, strawberry-banana, banana).  Nilla wafers (thanks to her Daddy!!)

She's a huge fan of breakfast foods and just about anything Eggo.  French Toasters and Blueberry Waffles are definite favorites.  The French Toasters come in a cinnamon flavor that she also likes.  Usually with waffles we will put a teeny tiny bit of Reddy Whip on it (then mash it together so the whip cream soaks in) to soften the texture a little bit.  That was the solution I came up with as an alternative to syrup because it was less sticky (for my picky child) and less sugar.  We also got some Sweet Potato Butter from the South 40 farmer's market in Clover that she likes a little bit of on waffles & french toast. 




Ryleigh is a meat lover! We call her our "little carnivore" because she will eat tons and tons of meat.  Chicken, ham, sausage, ground meat, lunch meat (chicken, turkey).  She will eat it all!  It's nothing for her to eat 4-5 slices of ripped up lunch meat.  One night she ate THREE chicken fingers herself on top of a slew of other food.  Definitely no protein deficiencies!


We still give her 1 or 2 purees (4oz) a day because it makes me feel better that she's getting a rounded meal, especially for green veggies. 



She is a great eater and she will let us know when she is hungry or wants more.  We tried introducing sign language, but overall haven't really needed to use it because she is very vocal.  She has signed "more" on several occasions but usually she will tap her tray or say "cracker", "cookie" or "baba" to let us know she wants more food.  All we have to do is show her a food container and ask "would you like some of this?" and she will either say "no" or give us a big grin and reach out her hands for it.  This makes communication on food pretty easy!





TEETHING
She has all 8 front teeth and a couple pre-molars are working their way through!  Her poor little gums are quite swollen and one tooth especially is very close to popping through (top left).

SLEEPING
Still sleeps about 11-11.5hrs a night.  She sometimes wakes around 3 or 4 am...not sure if it's bad dreams, teething pain, or that she just misses us (which I've heard sometimes happens around this age).  Usually it just takes a little back rub, or sometimes a quick cuddle, and she goes back to sleep just fine.  I sometimes change her diaper too just to help make her more comfortable.   We have been elevating one side of her mattress to help with congestion (just put a pillow under one side of the mattress).  Around 1 year old we also started letting her sleep with blankies in her crib at night.  Her blankies of choice are burp clothes with long silk tags on them.  She likes to rub the silk tag and cuddle the blanket.   For her naps--if it's a weekday she will usually stay awake playing all morning with the daycare kids and get a 2hr nap in the afternoon.  If it's the weekend, she is pretty much like clockwork--she goes down for a morning nap about 2hrs after she wakes up and she will sleep for 2-2.5hrs, then plays for about 3hrs and goes back down for an afternoon nap that lasts about 1-1.5hrs. 

ACTIVITY
Walking & running everywhere!  She never crawls anymore.  She has the cutest little strut.  She's great at climbing up stairs, but has no idea how to climb down.  She LOVES dancing and singing.  She learned "God is So Good" at daycare and will sing along if someone else sings it (she chimes in with very loud "God" and "Good" and sometimes tries to say "me").  She loves toy cars and trucks, and she loves her mega block legos.  She loves a giant plastic ball that Sue Sue & PaPa got her. She just likes to carry it around and make it roll.  She likes her wooden farm and making animal noises (she knows "moo" "quack" "woof" and will blow raspberries if we ask her what sound an elephant makes).  She is learning colors (or at least, color names...I'm not sure how well she actually associates colors with their names yet).  She can say "purple" and "booo"(blue). She loves being outside (although not during this pollen season!) and enjoys wagon rides, stroller rides, and swings.





She understands SO MUCH of what we are saying.  We can give her commands and she will get up and do them immediately.  One of her favorite things to do is throw away trash!  If we say "okay it's bedtime" she walks right over to the stairs and waits by the baby gate so that she can climb up to bed.

She now says/has said:
 "Dada"
"Daddy"
"Mama"
"Mommy" (a couple times, usually I'm "Mama")
"Papa"
"SueSue"
 "Kk" referring to Kona
"Ssssssssssssss"
"Thhhhhhhh"
"Kkkkkk"
"Ba ba ba ba"
"Ta ta ta ta"
"Guh"
"RrrrrLLl" <--Her version of Ryleigh that she's copied us saying a couple times.
"Go, Go, Go!"
"Ko" <--Kona
"Reee" or "Eeese"<--Reece
"Cak" <----Clap
"Hi"
"Hi Dada"
"Daw" <---Dog
"Gog"  her other version of dog
"Hey duh" her version of "Hey there"
"Hey"
"Hi"
"Bye Bye"
"Bah-Buh" <--"Baby" for her babydoll
"Kak-kuh"  <---cracker
"Na-Na"  for Banana
"Diapuh" diaper
"Ah Wubbya" I love you
"Ahmee" Amen
"yeah"
"whoa"
"uh ooo" for Uh Oh!
"Ba Ba" for requesting her bottle
"baby" <--she learned this one after becoming OBSESSED with her little cousin Karrigan!
"purple"
"booo" (blue)
"God"
"Good"
"Ray-Na" she said this once when we asked her to say Reina!
"Geeee" she said this a couple times when we ask her to say Grady
"Wow"
"Weeeeeee" <--she likes saying this on the swings :)

Clicking her tongue
Giving kisses...her human version [open mouth] and dog version [open mouth w/tongue sticking out!]
making the sound of a rolling "R" (like in Spanish)
Waving Hi & Bye bye
She gives hugs, but only to her babydoll.  It's precious.



DIAPERING
Size 3, although we are getting ready to transition to 4's I think...


 CLOTHES
 She's a little all over the place.  She fits 12m or 18m onesies.  She can fit into some jackets & vests that are 9m, 12m, or 18m.  She wears 12m or 18m pants.  Pretty much, the larger sizes are nice for added length but her waist still fits the smaller ones also.



 SPECIAL FIRSTS 

--Throwing trash away on command

--Going to bed on command (climbing stairs)

--Running

--saying her first color "purple"

--More new dance moves

--Tried peanut butter, eggs, and strawberries and wasn't allergic to them!! (big win! I was worried since she has a food allergy to annatto)

--First ponytail and pig tails!  It's a sad little sprout, but it's adorable and keeps hair out of her face!

--First time using the big potty (#2)! Total fluke thanks to whole milk constipation...but it worked! Twice actually.  We are not potty training yet but she's already showing interest so who knows!

Double digits?!

Ryleigh is 10 months old!!!!! 

 Weight:  19lbs 15oz

EATING
Lots of new things going on. Still drinking 6oz bottles of breastmilk.  She's gotten to try several new things, and her favorite food so far is definitely guacamole! She goes crazy for it and will be a bottomless pit in a Mexican restaurant, eating it as long as there is more to offer.  Aside from guacamole, she's gotten to try refried beans, potato soup, cool whip, lots and lots of Puffs....she is no longer content as long as she has a full belly while we are eating. If she sees us with food, she's curious and wants it no matter how full she is! We can usually keep her happy with puffs but more and more we find ourselves letting her get a little taste off of our fork.  I'm insanely paranoid about her choking on something, especially on days when she's more congested, so we don't let her eat things that need to be chewed right now (other than puffs that dissolve). 

TEETHING
 As of 10 months she has 5 teeth! All four of her front teeth, and her top right incisor.  The three top teeth all came in together (that was loads of fun....) and are not fully down yet but they're getting there.  It's ridiculously cute to catch a glimpse of them and I can't believe that probably by the end of the year her smile will look different because she'll have so many teeth showing!  She will also be getting more foods as she gets more of these teeth and I am more confident that she can chew without choking...although I'm probably going to stay paranoid about that until she 10, haha.

SLEEPING
Lots of recent changes here, for day-time sleeping anyway. She's still pretty good with her 11-ish hours at night of sleep.  She's definitely needing her naps now that she's more mobile.  We just follow her cues...she started with one big 2-2.5hr nap around 11or 12 in the afternoon, but quickly transitioned to a morning nap around 9 or 10 that lasts about 2hrs and then a late afternoon nap around 4ish.  She is always on the go and needing her sleep these days!

ACTIVITY
Pulling up on any and everything!

She now says/has said:
 "Dada"
"Mama"
"Papa" (my father-in-law)
"Kk" referring to Kona
"Ssssssssssssss"
"Thhhhhhhh"
"Kkkkkk"
"Ba ba ba ba"
"Ta ta ta ta"
"Guh"
"RrrrrLLl" <--Her version of Ryleigh that she's copied us saying a couple times.
"Go, Go, Go!"
"Ko" <--Kona
"Reee" <--Reece
"Cak" <----Clap
"Hi"
"Hi Dada"
"Daw" <---Dog


clicking her tongue
making the sound of a rolling "R" (like in Spanish)
Waving Hi & Bye bye

We also learned that she has her Daddy's creepy talent of being able to clear her throat.  It's such a weird thing that I don't even really know how to describe but if you're around us long enough I'm sure you've heard Jake do it.  Ryleigh did it a couple times last week and it caught us off guard! haha

DIAPERING
Size 3, mostly only Luvs because they fit her well and they're cheaper than Pampers.

 CLOTHES
  Mostly 12 month but we can also put 18 month pants on her for added length. String bean.




 SPECIAL FIRSTS 
--pulling up on any & everything

--meeting SANTA!!

--seeing Christmas lights

--"driving" Daddy's car around the neighborhood

--eating a Breadstick...loved it!!

--Giving kisses!! if we ask and sometimes even when we don't, she will lean in and give sloppy open-mouth kisses complete with a lick! haha...that's what happens when she learns from two dogs.  Shes started kissing her toys (and oddly enough her bouncy seat that is used more these days as something to pull up on). It's so sweet!

 

 

We are in full birthday planning mode now!  I am so excited about how all of my ideas are coming together.  I picked a theme around 6months and recently completely changed it to something I am completely in love with. I don't want to rush time but I am so excited for her party!

 

 

 

3/4

Ryleigh is 9 months old!!!!!  She is 3/4 of a year old.  Man time is moving fast.  Last week was the first time I looked at her and got really sad that she's no longer that little infant we brought home from the hospital.  Gosh, the first few months were exhausting and emotional and hard a lot of the time, but I miss napping with her on my chest (a rare occasion these days) and relaxing with her...because these days she is all "Go,go,go!" <--- her first cheer, when watching the world series with Mommy & Daddy :) we were proud.

EATING
Not to much has changed here. We have been introducing puffs and teething crackers which she seems to like!  She got to try loaded potato soup and loved it!

TEETHING
 Two little pearly whites :) Some top ones seem to be on the way.

SLEEPING
No real change here.

ACTIVITY
Lots and lots of crawling. Lots of crawling.  Lots.

She now says/has said:
 "Dada"
"Mama"
"Papa" (my father-in-law)
"Kk" referring to Kona
"Ssssssssssssss"
"Thhhhhhhh"
"Kkkkkk"
"Ba ba ba ba"
"Ta ta ta ta"
"Guh"
"RrrrrLLl" <--Her version of Ryleigh that she's copied us saying a couple times.
"Go, Go, Go!"
"Ko" <--Kona
"Reee" <--Reece
"Cak" <----Clap
"Hi"
"Hi Dada"


We can get her to copy us saying things fairly often, especially if it's just us with her and not a bunch of new people/things around.  She's very talkative in her jibber jabber.  She also LOVES clicking her tongue and making the sound of a rolling "R" (like in Spanish).

Waving Hi & Bye bye

DIAPERING
Size 3, mostly only Luvs because they fit her well and they're cheaper than Pampers.

 CLOTHES
  Mostly 12 month but she still fits into some 6-9 onesies.



 SPECIAL FIRSTS 
--took our 1st professional family pictures

--1st allergic reaction to medicine

--1st sickness that required doctor visit, viral infection

--1st Fall Festival

--1st Halloween! Went as a polar bear/El Oso Blanco/Evan Gattis

 

 

8. months. old.

Yes, I'm aware that this post is late. It's probably because I'm in denial that Ryleigh is somehow already 8 months old...or now actually closer to 9 months...how? how? how?

I've always heard parent friends talk about how all of a sudden, their child seems to have aged a tremendous amount all at once.  Like you turn around and all of a sudden they're 5 years older.  I feel that way about month 8 for Ryleigh.  All of a sudden she's made so many developmental achievements and grown into an almost-toddler.  She's definitely not our infant anymore, and she's always on the move (although that's been since day 1).

 Weight:  18lbs 12oz.

EATING
Drinking 6oz bottles of breastmilk.  I think because of teething, she's eating about 1 less bottle a day, getting around 30oz instead of 36oz.  She seems fine and isn't waking up hungry in the middle of the night (her evening bottle is the one she's skipping) so we don't worry about it too much. 

She's still getting 4oz of baby food a day, although for the last couple weeks that hasn't been on the normal schedule because she's been congested and sick, so I haven't offered food every day because it's more important to make sure she fills up on breastmilk (a lot more calories). 

 

TEETHING
 Check 'em out, yall!  Two little pearly whites :) They came in 3 days apart. That was fun. Not. 

SLEEPING
Still great! Although some congestion over the past week has had her a little off the norm.  She's getting very attached to a couple of her little blankeys--especially the green one above because she loves the silk tags.  She also loves a silky one with a baby doll attached to it from her Grandma & Grandpa.  She rubs the silk on her nose as she sucks her thumb.  We don't let her sleep with one in her crib, but whenever she's napping she's usually in her bouncy seat or stroller and we let her have it.

ACTIVITY
We have a crawler! 

She is loving language.  She will give us the biggest smiles when we ask her to say things.  Lots of times she just smiles and you can tell she's thinking or she wants to say it.  Sometimes she will repeat it after us, and then other times she'll finally blurt something out at a random time like when she's in her jumperoo or when we're driving in the car and she's chatting with herself in the mirror.  She also figured out how to click her tongue this month and she loves to do it and smiles so big to hear the noise, especially if we click our tongues with her.

She now says/has said:
 "Dada"
"Mama"
"Papa" (my father-in-law)
"Kk" referring to Kona
 "Ssssssssssssss"
"Thhhhhhhh"
"Kkkkkk"
"Ba ba ba ba"
"Ta ta ta ta"
"Guh"

She also has said her first phrase, "Hi Dada!" although I think in her mind it's "Hidada" (one word) that you tell everyone, because she'll say "Hi Dada" to anyone and everyone.  We usually say it when Jake gets home from work, so even though she knows he's Dada, she doesn't get it that you need to say a different name for other people.  It's adorable though.  It's almost always accompanied by the cutest little wrist wave. 

She's learning to wave Hi and Bye Bye.

She now claps and does Patty-cake.
  

DIAPERING
Size 3...I feel like we'll be here for a while.

 CLOTHES
 Slowly moving into 12 month for length.



 SPECIAL FIRSTS 
--phrase, Saying "hi da da "
--teeth!!

--crawling

--waving hi

--waving bye bye (different wave than hi)

--new words

--firepit experience and taste of chocolate

--Disney on Ice!!!!!

--sitting up in a highchair at a restaurant

 

 

 

We have a Tooth!

Well hello....I've been terrible with keeping this update other than our monthly posts, and I'm hoping to get better about it and get back into regular updates.

In huge news....Ryleigh has her first tooth! 

 

How is my baby 7 months old already?

No doctor's appointment until November at her 9 month well visit so these are approximate from home:

Weight:  18lbs
Height:  27.5"
Using the Pampers growth chart, that puts her around 90th percentile for height! But only 75th for weight.  String bean.

EATING
 Still drinking 5.5-6oz bottles of breastmilk.  Since she stares us down and gives us the best sassy face if we ever thinking about eating in front of her and not sharing [which for the record, we don't share since she's too little for almost everything, we just feel terrible like we are dangling bacon in front of a puppy] we have added a second 2oz. baby food meal every day!  In addition to 2oz dinner at home, she's getting a brunch/lunch meal at daycare and on the weekends. She does very well with normal spoon-feeding or from our Boon Squirt Silicone Feeder. 

Foods we have tried & liked:  Sweet potatoes, Carrots, Squash, Peas, Green beans, Prunes, Pumpkin, Zucchini, Spinach, Bananas, Pears

"Real"food she's used as teethers:  Whole baby dill pickles, plain unsalted French fry, carrot sticks [guess which one of those Daddy offered....]

Foods we have tried & hated:  Apples, Peaches

No such luck with a sippy cup yet. 

 

 

TEETHING
Nothing has poked through yet! We'll see!

 

SLEEPING
Still great! Although some congestion over the past week has had her a little off the norm.  She's getting very attached to a couple of her little blankeys--especially the green one above because she loves the silk tags.  She also loves a silky one with a baby doll attached to it from her Grandma & Grandpa.  She rubs the silk on her nose as she sucks her thumb.  We don't let her sleep with one in her crib, but whenever she's napping she's usually in her bouncy seat or stroller and we let her have it.

ACTIVITY
She is getting so close to crawling! She's not doing as much of her inchworm technique anymore...she's figured out that she needs to be up on her arms, and she's started to get up on her knees...it's just getting the coordination down to make it all work together that she's still working on.  For now, she tries, tries, and then gives up and rolls.

Still obsessed with her jumperoo.  She also loves her One Two Squeeze blocks.  She is very inquisitive--her favorite parts of toys are the parts that "make things work" or the speaker where sound comes out, more so than the fun decorative parts of toys.  If anything has a silk tag on it, she is in love.  She especially likes burp cloths because she discovered that they have a large silk tag.

She loves to copy sounds, and now says/does the following:
"Da da da da da"
"Ma ma ma ma ma"
"Ssssssssssssss"
"Thhhhhhhh"
"Kkkkkk"
"Ba ba ba ba"
"Ta ta ta ta"

Lots of little blabber conversations with herself and with us.  She doesn't really associate any of that with specific things, she just likes making those sounds and will copy a lot of the time if we do them.  She sort of knows that DaDa is associated with Jake and MaMa is associated with me, but I'm not sure if she gets it that that's our names.  She definitely knows her own name and will give a big smile when we say it!

  
DIAPERING
Size 3...I feel like we'll be here for a while.

 CLOTHES
Mostly 6-9 months.



Grandparent's Day Handprint Crafts!

Being baptized, held by her Godmother :)

 SPECIAL FIRSTS 
--Saying "Mamamamamama"
--Being Baptized!

--Watched her first UGA football game

--First handprint crafts

 

 

SIX MONTHS!

RYLEIGH'S 6 MONTH STATS:

 Weight:  17lbs 3oz
Height:  26.75"
Head Circumference:  17"

EATING
 Ryleigh now drinks 5.5-6oz bottles of breastmilk.  We have given her a little bit of water, to which she's very perplexed at what we are allowing her to drink.  This started mainly because of being slack and instead of wanting to heat up just a little bit of milk to mix her medicine into, I used some water [about 1 oz].  She accepted it, so we've done that 2 or 3 times since.  She also has fun playing in the shower with Daddy [which we do to try to clear out her congested nose], which mainly consists of her sticking her tongue out to try to eat the "raindrops".  It's so funny to watch. She eats about 34-36oz a day.  She also gets one meal a day of baby food.  She has now tried quite a few different things!  Her favorites seem to be sweet potatoes and carrots.  She also likes squash, peas, and green beans.  She will tolerate bananas and prunes.  She hates apples and peaches.  WHAT?! I know.  How is this my child? Who would have thought a baby would like her veggies more than fruit?  Interesting I guess.  She will still tolerate apples if I mix them with either rice cereal or another food, like sweet potatoes.  She has calmed down a bit with her pace of eating.  She will eat the whole 2 oz container, but she will actually take time to swallow now, I guess because the "newness" of eating food and eating from a spoon has worn off.  She is very good about knowing the routine when we sit her in her highchair.  She also likes to try to lick the wash cloth when I clean her up afterwards.  She wants to eat every little morsel I guess, haha.  At restaurants or cookouts, she very much enjoys to use carrot sticks and pickles as teethers!

I'm also trying to start the sippy cup transition, but not having great luck so far. 


TEETHING
Nothing has poked through yet! I'm thinking that this will be the month...her bottom, right front tooth seems to be right there below the surface of her gums.  We'll see!


SLEEPING
Still great at night.  She's actually been napping a little more lately, I'm thinking due to a growth spurt.  We will be moving up to Medium size sleep sacks soon!

ACTIVITY
My little jumping bean.  She loves to jump.  In her jumperoo, in someone's lap, wherever she can.  Her little legs are getting quite strong and she will stand for longer lengths of time before she finally decides she's tired.  She has a new little move that I fondly refer to as "the inchworm".  She wants to crawl so badly, but she can't quite figure it out.  She will kick her legs for a while, then realize she isn't going anywhere so she brings her butt up in the air, then uses her arms to pull herself forward [by grabbing onto her playmat or whatever she's laying on] to move herself forward, i.e. inchworm style.  She's so proud when she realizes she's moved forward a couple inches.
 
DIAPERING
Currently in the middle of a transition to Size 3!  We like to put her in Luvs Extra Absorbent [especially at night], Pampers swaddlers, or Target brand. 

CLOTHES
She can fit into 3-6 month size, but we've been sizing her up to 6-9 month onesies for added length a lot of the time.  I'm sure we will do the full transition soon.

SPECIAL FIRSTS 
--Attempt at crawling
--Reaching and grasping for things
--Tried fruit [and hated it]
--Head cold ["boogergirl" became the nickname!]
--Leaning and reaching for someone to hold her [usually Daddy!]
--hugging our necks when we hold/carry her.
--Saying "Da da da da da da da da da da" constantly and about everything.  Haven't quite connected that sound to Daddy yet though!




  

 

Exclusively Pumping for 6+ Months

I want to start this post with a little pat on the back for myself.  Next week Ryleigh will be 6 months old, and I've been successfully exclusively pumping to feed her.

There were so many moments when I thought that this day would never come. 

So many moments of frustration, worry, pain...

So many times when I was tired, mentally and physically. 

So many times when I longed to be able to normally breastfeed my baby, and moments of envy of friends or other women who could. 

Times when I believed with every fiber of my being that I would never make it past 2 months.

...or 3 months.

...or 4 months.

So many times when I thought I would just stop.

 Just give up.  Give in. 

So many times when I thought to myself, I've done this long enough already.

or Formula would be so much easier. 

 

I want to say Thank you.  Thank you to the women who liked and commented on a couple of my instagram posts about breastfeeding.  Thank you to friends who breastfed and EP'ed who reached out to me with words of advice and encouragement.  It means more to me than you know.  And it kept me going.  It was the perfect nudge of support to help me not to give up in moments of weakness. 

 

It sounds so cliché but it's truly something you do not understand until you go through it.  No amount of books or classes can prepare you, because it's so far outside of the normal realm of understanding.  Some women can breastfeed and it's natural and perfect and great.  But for the rest of us  most of us, there is a huge learning curve and a lot of struggle until you finally, hopefully, figure out what works for you and your baby.

 

I know breastfeeding is such a sensitive subject with mothers.  I think that there is a such a stigma about it and so much pressure on women to do it that when we stop, whether it's after 1 week, 1 month, or 1 year, there's a twinge of guilt.  You feel like you're doing something wrong.  You feel like you will be judged.  You feel guilty that you didn't do it longer.  You feel badly because something made you stop--maybe it was lack of supply, an injury [because yes, those do happen!],  job limitations.  I've always known that I wanted to at least attempt to breastfeed my children, because I do believe that there are many different benefits to it--for the baby and for the mother [and for the family bank account].  However, I'm not one of those women that will judge, lecture, or advocate about it. 

Because sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. 

What is important is that baby is fed and healthy.

 

What I do want to share here is some of my experience and some tips or tricks I've learned along the way.  It was very beneficial for me to talk to other women who EP'ed and to read some blogs from women who EP'ed.  Especially when first starting out because there is a sea of breast-pumping products and sets and its hard to know what you need and what you don't.

So, there's a lot to say, bear with me.

Here's what works for me.

SETTING GOALS

This has been how I persevere through it.  Instead of having demanding goals for breastfeeding, before Ryleigh was even born I set small, more attainable milestone goals.  I feel like this makes it easier for me to keep going, and allows me to celebrate my accomplishments along this journey.  It depends on what type of person you are, but this works best for me.  Before she was born, I knew I wanted to attempt breastfeeding, mainly for the health aspect for the baby and also because I do think there are benefits for the baby with breastmilk as far as healthy immune system, intellectual development, and bonding is concerned.  When Ryleigh was born and we were having issues with latching [mainly staying latched].  I tried breastfeeding and pushed through the pain for about two weeks. 
She was frustrated. 
I was frustrated.
...and in the words of my lactation consultant,
I was becoming "very damaged" from her not latching/staying latched properly. 
Yeah, painful to say the least.
I decided to start exclusively pumping, and while it has not been the easy road, it works.  We were very fortunate that I have enough supply, and that Ryleigh took to a bottle so easily. 
Still, it has been a daily struggle that I have to convince myself to do.
 My first milestone goal was to just breastfeed my entire maternity leave [9 weeks].
My next goal was to make it to 4 months.  That seemed like a good foundation and if I needed to switch to formula after that I told myself that was fine.  I was also slowly building up a supply of frozen milk, so I knew that once I made it to that point, she would still get a few more days worth.
By the time 4 months came around, I was settled back in at work and in my pumping routine, and I was finally able to sleep through the night and not have to wake up to pump at 4am.  That all made it seem easier to keep going.  My next goal was 6 months.
And now 6 months is here.
Especially with working, the time has gone by very quickly.  Now I'm looking at my next milestone, which I've decided is my birthday [October/8 months].
Part of me thinks that when I get to that point, I will think Well, we're so close to the end of the year, my next milestone will be New Year's.  But then, when I get to the end of the year, Ryleigh will be 10 & a half months old, so why not just round out to one whole year?
I'm definitely not going beyond that.  She's allowed cow's milk at 1 year. DONE.
And then I think about keeping going at this for another 6 whole months and I decide that I'm crazy to think I could do this that long.  So, we'll see.
Milestone goals.


THE TOOLS

 

If you are exclusively pumping, you will have a Love/Hate relationship with your pump.  It's important to have a good one.  The (1)Medela Pump In Style Advanced is fabulous, and I have the On-the-Go tote version.  I like that I have additional storage in the tote for pump parts, milk storage bags, quick clean wipes, etc.  This pump also comes with a wall plug or a battery pack, and I have used the battery pack to pump in the car and on the boat a few times [on trips when Jake was driving].  They do make a car plug adaptor, but I don't have it.

In addition to what came with the pump, I purchased the (8)Breast Pump Accessory Set so that I had additional bottles and another set of breast shields.  There are several different accessory set options, so I waited a couple weeks until I really knew which parts I needed extras of.  Having two sets of shields is very nice so that you aren't constantly washing parts after every pumping session, especially if you are unable to because you have to take care of the baby or go somewhere.
Also, my pump came with a set of breast shields that are two parts each [separate shields and connectors] but this Accessory set it is all one piece.  That is really convenient for a travel set--so it's what I take to work every day, and I use the more piece-y set in the morning and at night.

I've already mentioned what a lover of Boon products I am, and we are still loving our (5) Boon Orb bottle warmer.    In addition to that, we have the (2)Boon Lawn drying rack with one (3)Stem and one (4)Twig.  Get the Lawn size, you will need it.  You will have tons of bottles and pump parts to wash every single night and throughout each day.  You will need that much space, and then you will get creative stacking things when you still run out of room.

The (6) Medela quick-clean wipes are very convenient for what I am pumping at work, out on the boat, or at a friend's house.  Really anywhere when you're away from home. 

The extra (7)membranes will periodically start to rip and need replacing from the several-time-a-day use.  I buy this set instead of the Valve & Membrane set, because it's cheaper and my valves are still in great condition.

If you are blessed with a supply that is a little or lot over what you need to feed baby each day, you will need some milk storage bags.  I've tried Lansinoh and Nuk.  (9)Nuk are typically a little cheaper and they seem to be good quality from what I can tell so far. Plus, for every purchase from them this year they are donating to Breast Cancer Research.

Once your supply is really established [from what I've read and what I could tell with myself, that's around 2.5-3 months] you probably will not need to wake up in the middle of the night to pump.  That's one thing I learned from an old friend who reached out to me when she found out I was exclusively pumping.  She told me about how she had been EPing with her son, who was 10 months old.  10 months of EPing. Wow.  That did, and still does, sound unreal to me.  I was amazed that someone could commit to doing this for so long. It's definitely not the easy path, so I have so much respect for ladies who stick with it for so long!  It's such a self-less thing to do...well, except for that whole weight-loss upside to all the extra calories that we burn. 
But I digress. 
She told me that once your supply is established, you do not have to wake up in the middle of the night to pump, you will just get double in the morning.  Because of that, you will need to invest in some larger bottles, like the (10)3-pack Medela 8oz bottles. 

And for all the fun that is washing bottles and pump parts, you will need some good baby-friendly soap, like (11)Palmolive Baby.  Let me say that I do love the Medela bottle soap, but this Palmolive version is about a quarter of the price in a bottle that is twice the size, so that's a no-brainer for me. 

Now, finding a bottle brush that I like has been hard.  I use the nipple cleaning brush that comes with Dr. Brown's bottles on all of my bottle nipples and it works very well.  They last about 3 months before the handle breaks since it's wire.  For everything else...I started out using this Munchkin bottle brush that has the sponge on the end.  It was okay and lasted about 4 months, but then the sponge started to fall apart so I had to get rid of it.  My main complaint with this bottle brush was that the internal nipple brush area molded easily and since it just screwed on and off, it would unscrew if my palm hit it while cleaning something.  It also had a normal plastic base and I would have preferred a suction base to stand on the counter.  So, when that died I picked up the Deluxe Munchkin bottle brush.  I hate it.  It's terrible, it flings soapy water all over me and my countertop when you pull it in and out of a bottle.  The bristles are firmer and do not bend enough to fit into the breast shield canal.  It pretty much sucks. The only nice thing is this one does have a suction base.  I recently ordered the Dr. Brown's Bottle Brush which I have high hopes for, we will see once it arrives!


KEEPING UP SUPPLY

Staying hydrated is very important.  I notice a direct correlation to having enough or a lack of milk based upon how much water I've been drinking that day.  I have been lucky in that I do not really have an issue with needing to increase my supply, but I know that there are a few products to help if you do, like Fenugreek and special milk-production cookies.  I have also noticed that if there is a day when I produce on the low side, if I eat a burger, it works like a charm to get my supply back up.  Not sure the science behind that, but it's probably something to do with the fats in red meat.  I learned this trick from Jessica of the Little Baby Garvin blog [see her EP story here]. 


WHAT'S BETTER THAN LANOLIN?

I found out about this mixture from a woman at my church who happens to be a lactation consultant.  She told me to use it to heal a blister [one of the unfortunate pumping injuries that can occur] but said it can be used for many things.  You should consult your lactation consultant before you use this as a solution for a problem, but I have found it works very well! 
Mix equal parts hydrocortisone [Cortizone10 or similar], antifungal cream [Lotrimin or similar] and polysporin [NOT NEOSPORIN. Neosporin has a numbing agent that is not safe for baby to ingest, but polysporin does not and is safe].  I had some extra plastic ointment containers left over from a spa baby shower, which works perfectly to hold this mixture and I keep it in my pump tote to apply after pumping once or twice a day, or as needed. 




So, that's my story and my advice. 
I know I've left some things out, although that's probably okay with the novel that is above. 

I know I didn't mention a pumping bra, and that's because I have one and I don't like it.  I think I used it a total of 4 times. You can't massage the milk ducts to get them empty while wearing the pumping bra, and for a girl that already takes 30 solid minutes to pump, that sucks. 
I also didn't mention bra pads, because I'm one of those weird women that doesn't leak.  Ever.  I might get painfully engorged on a daily basis, but I don't have to worry about leaking on my clothes or wasted milk.  Good and bad, I guess.  Although, I will say that a friend gave me a box of Medela breast pads for my baby shower and I did end up using them just as comfort because I was sore and they felt better than the fabric inside my bra. 

If you have other questions or want advice on specific things not covered above, feel free to ask me! 

 

 

 

Happy August! Happy Football Season!

Can we take a minute to freak out and wonder where this year has gone?
It's August. Whoa.
 I almost have a 6 month old. 
Whoa.

But, it's August! Yay! 
Because I know that August is still technically summer, but for me it signals the beginning of fall.

& Fall means Football season!

Some of our friends got us cute Georgia outfits for Ryleigh at our baby shower, and she's sadly starting to outgrow them!  She's a little too small to fit into her Georgia cheerleader outfit, so I found this cute onesie set through Target online:

Target NCAA Infant Bodysuit Sets

I can't wait for them to arrive!  We've already started sizing up to 6-9 month onesies for a little extra length [baby girl's a stringbean!] so I'm hoping these last her through October/November when long sleeves will be needed anyway. 

 

 

The red ones will pair pretty adorably with the UGA headbow I made her

[also available in my Etsy shop!]

 

Crazy 8 Sale!

Well we all love a good deal on clothes.  Even more than a deal for myself is a deal for itty bitty baby girl clothes.  Let's face it mommas of little girls, we could probably all go broke buying up clothes, shoes, and accessories for our girls.  Everything is just so cute. 

Even before Ryleigh was born, I set myself a $5 limit on any one clothing item.  I shop friends' hand-me-downs and yard sales, clearance racks and try to buy bigger sizes that she will grow into, buy out of season so that it's cheaper, etc.  I've only gone above my $5 limit for a few "novelty" items--a pair of  BabyTMoccs because baby moccasins are adorable, comfortable, and this girl's moccs are about half the price of FreshlyPicked, but she's got great reviews about her quality.  We'll see, we are still waiting on them to arrive! :) We also went over for her UGA baby uggs ($15) that I can't wait for her to wear this fall!! and her Vera Bradley coming home outfit...that she actually didn't wear until she was about a month old because she was such a peanut!

So, yesterday made me really happy.  Crazy 8 [I love their clothes!] is having a big clearance sale and is doing free shipping with the coupon code STANDOUT.  I've been looking into some spring/summer clothes for Ryleigh, and scored everything below for $57 including sales tax!

The dresses and rompers were $4-5/each, the onesie set was $6, the shorts and skirt were $3, the bathing suits were each $5.59.  Hello awesome deal!  I couldn't pass it up, 13 items for $57, making it an average of just over $4 an item, for a great brand and new clothes.  Including bathing suits! Good quality, UV protected bathing suits.  I couldn't believe it!

I'm in love with the little white tankini, it's got sea turtles, seahorses, and fish on it in fun colors.  The rashguard bathing suit is cute but not my favorite print..but who can pass up a suit for $5.59?!   I like that the onesie set is white and coral because those colors are so popular that it's very easy to find matching bottoms to go with them, including the purple skirt and tangerine/coral shorts.  Love the cute coral & yellow romper, it's got rosettes around the neckline which is hard to tell in this picture.  The chambray dress has white and pink bows embroidered on it which I thought is a sweet little outfit for spring either by itself or with some pink leggings on a colder day.  The ikat and butterfly outfits are cute dresses/romper that are nice enough to be worn to weddings but also good for a casual summer day.  And let's face it...with our age group/large group of friends we have about 5-6 weddings to attend every year!

 

5?!

How is my baby 5 months old?! I guess it's true what they say about women forgetting about the pain and intensity of labor, because it seems like February was yesterday but forever ago all at the same time.  On one of mine and Ryleigh's first outings to Target when she was a few weeks old, we saw a couple and their little girl in the baby clothing section, and they were  looking at Ryleigh saying "aww she's so little, they grow so fast...our daughter is 5 months now, I miss her being that small!"  And now, that's me.  Looking at new babies, even ones that were born bigger than Ryleigh, I just can't believe she was ever that little.  She's such a long string bean now, and she's starting to give my arms a good work-out carrying her around.  Her long legs hang off of my lap now when I'm rocking her or feeding her a bottle.  It's crazy how quickly babies change!



RYLEIGH'S 5 MONTH STATS:
[no doctor's appt this month so we're guestimating at home]

Weight: around 16lbs
Height: somewhere near 26-27"

EATING

Slowly transitioning to 5.5-6oz bottles.  We had her on 5oz bottles but she seems to be ending them still a little bit hungry.  She is eating about 30-35oz a day. I'm pumping in the ballpark of 40oz a day, and I notice that if I ever have a day where it's on the low side, eating a cheeseburger is like magic to boost my supply.   

Ryleigh has now tried squash, carrots, peas and green beans, and still loves her sweet potatoes!  She loves them all. I'm convinced that if it's served on a spoon she really doesn't care what it is.  She does seem a little bit happier about the orange veggies though.  She's eating the entire 2oz container, and could always eat more when it's finished.  My little piglet.   


TEETHING
Still nothing poking through, but her drooling and fussiness have steadily increased so I know that it's just a matter of time.

SLEEPING
Baby girl is a wonderful sleeper....at night.  She has the fun habit of fighting naps during the day.  She takes one 2 hour-ish nap, then tends to take about five 20-40 min naps.

 ACTIVITY
Always!  Her little legs never stop moving. She is a master at rolling all around and flips over almost as soon as you lay her down.  She has also discovered Kona this month!  Baby girl loves her fluffy white dog.  She is starting to have a small interest in Reece, but the second Kona is within view she is smiling at him and reaching out for him.  Her jumperoo is one of her absolute favorite things!

DIAPERING
Size 2!

 

CLOTHES
She's mostly 3-6 month sizes, but she's getting so long that some of them are getting a little snug.  Jake put a 6-9 month onesie on her by accident the other day, and I was surprised that it actually wasn't all that big on her.  We will probably move her up a little early to 6-9month size just for added room.

SPECIAL FIRSTS
--1st real belly laughs...this is absolutely adorable!  She will laugh so much she gives herself hiccups :( It's the cutest and saddest thing ever.
--Really good rolling.
--1st Camo outfit (totally noteworthy...)
--1st time in a big pool! She likes water and splashing her feet, but hates sitting in a wet diaper or swim diaper.