Apple Picking

We had a wonderful time picking apples today.  My mom is in town from Florida and I love getting to share some of the traditional fall activities with her... since there is no real "fall" in Florida.  The weather was mild, but perfectly fall-ish and the apples were, of course, delicious!!

I just love this shot.  Sweet sleepy baby girl!

Top 10: New Mama Must-Haves

 I read the books, I talked to friends who have been there, done that, I scoured the internet... but nothing truly prepared me for the first week of motherhood.  It was an amazingly beautiful, wonderful, crazy, chaotic zombie trance-like week that I can barely remember, but will never forget.

Settling into life with a newborn is tough.  With the help of my wonderful husband, family and friends... and the items listed below... we made it through!!

1.  Earth Mama Angel Baby New Mama Bottom Spray

In those first few days post partum, to say I felt like an NFL kicker had taken a shot at my lady bits with a steel toed boot is an understatement.  And I didn't even have a tear... I can only imagine how horrible that would feel.  Anyway... sensitive, painful, tender, OUCH... doesn't even begin to describe it.  This glorious spray felt cool and refreshing.  It contains natural ingredients to help soothe your poor privates during the aftermath.  I don't know what I would have done without it.
*EMAB also makes a New Mama Bottom Balm, which I bought, but never used.  If it's anything like the rest of their products, I'm sure it's awesome too!

2.  Gilligan O'Malley Nursing Tanks

I lived in these.  I knew I wanted to breasfeed and thought I would be proactive and purchase a few nursing bras during the last month of my pregnancy.  I *thought* I bought the right size... I mean... I had ballooned up several cup sizes already... how much bigger could they possibly get?  Boy was I clueless.  When my milk came in, I was busting out of everything I *thought* would contain them.  That's what I get for thinking, right?  See the good thing about the nursing tanks is that unlike bras which are sized pretty specifically (34D, 36DD, etc)... these are small, medium, large, etc.  The tanks are no where near as structured and have a lot more stretch to accommodate engorgement without sacrificing support.  They are wonderful!

3.  Gilligan O'Malley Nursing Sleep Bras

Another Target wonder product.  As fabulous as the tanks were, in the middle of the night when you are in a trance because you have been up every hour on the hour to nurse... the last thing you want to mess around with is trying to make sure you can get your nursing tank clipped back together before you hit the pillow for another quick 15 minute nap.  These sleep bras are very similar to sports bras, also have tons of stretch and are super simple to nurse in.  All you have to do is pull the material to the side, whip it out and feed that baby.  By far the best thing to sleep in when nursing!

4.  Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter

The first few days/weeks of nursing are painful.  Seriously.  Nobody really warned me about this.  I can say that it gets better, but in the meantime finding something to soothe your nipples is really important.  The hospital provided some samples of lanolin- which worked great... but I definitely preferred the Natural Nipple Butter and was happy to switch when my samples ran out.

5.   Reusable Nursing Pads

It took me one outing in my disposable nursing pads to realize that I hated them.  I don't like panty liners or pads, so I don't know why I thought I wouldn't mind plastic-y pads on my boobs.  During my first trip to Babies R Us after Kennedy arrived, I picked up a package of reusable nursing pads... then came home and ordered a bunch on Amazon.  I have acquired a few different kinds, but my favorites are the cotton ones that came with my nursing cover.  So much softer on the skin then the pastic sposies.  Blech. 


6.  Mesh Hospital Panties

Yep.  Seriously.  Take them.  Take as many as you can get your hands on.  Take them all.  Whether you have a c-section or vaginal delivery, the first few days/weeks post partum are umm.... messy... and these disposables are awesome!!  Let's face it... nobody wants to wash that kind of a mess and tossing out your granny panties by the dozen doesn't exactly seem practical either.

7.  Always Infinity Pads

Speaking of messes... these are about as good as they get at containing them.  I am not a fan of wearing panty liners, let alone pads (ahem diapers), but post partum you really have no choice.  It was a trial and error process to find a pad I could actually tolerate and these were the winners.  May I suggest stocking up on pads... lots and lots of them... in advance.  The amount that you will go through in the first few weeks is pretty absurd.

8.  Pandora Radio

For some reason I thought singing lullabies was one of those innate motherly instincts.  I figured I would somehow just *know* the words to all of those traditional little songs and I would sing softly while my sweet babe drifted off to sleep.  HA!!  I have learned that not only do I not know the words to lullabies... but when I am super sleep deprived and baby girl is screaming, I can hardly remember the words to my favorite country songs.  Andplusalso, how many times can you sing "Rockabye baby in the treetop" before you are ready to stab yourself.  Enter Pandora.  Specifically the Rockabye Baby channel on Pandora.  This channel plays classic rock music (think Journey, Aerosmith, AC DC, Metallica) in lullabye form.  It's great!  I turn this on in the middle of the night and jam out softly to "Don't Stop Believing" and "Dude Looks Like A Lady" while we nurse.  Love it!

9.  Garnier Nutrisse Skin Renew Eye Roller

 

Let's face it... sleep deprivation does not do good things for your appearance.  Vain as it may sound, I did not want to sport the stereotypical "new mom" look... you know sweats, messy hair, dark circles and big bags under my eyes.  Umm... no thanks.  I did hang out in yoga pants, tank tops and a pony tail for a while... BUT... I did manage to throw on a little makeup before I left the house (most days at least).  Even if I didn't have time for my normal makeup routine, I did manage to swipe this wonder product on.  It's a concealer with (drum roll please) caffeine in it, which helps to not only hide those dark circles, but gives your skin a little pick-me-up.  Definitely a must have! 

10. Keurig

Speaking of caffeine..... I may or may not be slightly obsessed with my Keurig.  I loved it before... I even blogged about it when Kevin bought it for me last year (and may or may not have pictures hugging and kissing it, lol)... but now I REALLY love it.  I am pretty awful at making coffee anyway, and now I certainly don't have the time or patience to mess with a full pot... so K-cups it is.  Lord knows I need my morning cup o' Joe now more than ever.  

Kennedy's 7 Week Check In

7 weeks old, growing big, healthy and strong.  This past week hasn't been super busy, but the week ahead will be very much the opposite.  My parents will be coming in town, as well as a few other friends and relatives for Kennedy's christening on Sunday.  I am sneaking on to post this update on a break from cleaning (and football... hey it IS Sunday, you know!)

Did I mention she loves swimming in the bath tub?

How Big Is Baby?

• Kevin thinks she is 12 pounds... I am thinking 11.5
• Mostly 0-3 clothes.  Still some Newborn sizes and some 3 or even 3-6 also.
• Full time cloth diapering now!  We do have size 1 disposables for backups when all of our cloths dipes are washing, but she has not worn one in a week or two.

Development & Milestones

• Kennedy continues to talk up a storm when Daddy holds her.  She is most definitely a daddy's girl.  Her eyes light up, she smiles the biggest most adorable smiles and she babbles non stop.  Not going to lie, I'm a little jealous.
• She is starting to discover her hands, I think.  She has at least managed to get them to her mouth, lol.  She seems to really enjoy chewing on her hands whenever she has the opportunity.
• She absolutely loves tummy time and is much more interested in her play mat than she was before.  She likes to stare at herself in the mirror on her mat while lying on her tummy and she bats at the hanging toys when she lays on her back.  So cute!

Diet/Nursing

• Nursing wonderfully.  Mommy found out what a clogged duct feels like... ugh not awesome.  Luckily, with some heat from a rice bag and lots of nursing, it resolved pretty quickly.
• No issues with the bottle still, thank goodness.  We did change to a level 2 nipple when we give a bottle during the day because she eats so fast that she seemed to get a little frustrated with the level 1.  When we give the bottle at night, we use a level 1 still because she is usually half asleep and doesn't eat quite as fast.

Sleep

• We are pretty much stuck at 3 hours.  And it almost seems like little miss has an internal alarm clock that goes off at 1am, 4am and 6am.  We are really trying to find a routine that works best for us.  Right now, we do bath time at 7:30 followed by lotion (which she hates) and jammies, nurse her to sleep at 8.  I wake her up to "top her off" with another feeding just before I go to bed around 11.  After talking with some fellow mommies, I am going to skip the 11pm feeding and see how it goes.  Keep your fingers crossed.  The 3 hour clips of sleep are wearing on me.
• Thankfully, she has been napping pretty good during the day.  Hopefully this continues.  :)

PP Mommy Check In

• I made it to 130... and actually to 129!!!  Goal #1 reached!!!
• Only 4 pounds to go to goal #2, my final goal.
• The only clothes that don't fit right now is anything that is tight in the chest, thank you, nursing boobies.  :/ 
• My chiropractor visit was wonderful!!  Boy have I missed that!  I will be going once a week for the next month to get back on track.  Nursing and carrying a baby can really do a number on your spine.
• I also had my 6 week post partum follow up with the OB.  Everything was great, I am cleared to return to work (which I won't be doing until October) and to resume all normal activities.  Feels good to feel like me again!
• Right now I weigh about 129 lbs.  
• *For reference, my highest pregnancy weight was 162, my pre-pregnancy weight was 130 and my goal weight is 125*

How Is Daddy?

• Kevin is doing wonderfully.  He is such a loving, caring father and it is truly a blessing to be able to witness the special bond that he has with Kennedy. 

Any appointments, visitors or outings?  Anything else new?

• Kennedy and I attended a play date hosted by the Elizabeth Ministry at our church.  I was nervous as this was our first play date... but it was awesome to meet and chat with other moms.  The group is full of great women and supports a great cause.  I am very excited to be a part and looking forward to our next meeting.
• Completely full time cloth now.  I will actually be posting about my experience this coming week (I hope!) and returning all of the cases of diapers we have stashed away.  :)  No turning back now!

  Love/Hate: 

• Love:  Gripe Water.  Kennedy has been a little gassier/fussier than normal in the mornings so we have been dipping her pacifier in Gripe Water.  This has worked wonders!!
• Hate:  That I tried to be proactive and bought several cases  of diapers, in various sizes, ahead... now to lug them all over creation, guessing which store they came from so I can return them, lol.

Any upcoming developments, milestones?  What's next?

• Next appointment for Kennedy is in a few more weeks.  Thank goodness she is happy, healthy and doing well.
• Kennedy's christening is next Sunday.  My parents will be coming in town this coming week and Kevin's parents will be in next weekend to celebrate.  We are so excited to have everyone together and to celebrate adding another warrior for Christ to the ranks.  :)

Picture Time!!

Recipe: Homemade Hot Pocket

I have to credit a FB friend for inspiring this delicious recipe.  :)  Thanks, Jaki!

This is my version of a Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Hot Pocket.

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 bag shredded cheddar cheese- set aside 1/4 bag to use for topping
• 1/2 to 1 bag frozen broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 container whipped cream cheese
• 1 can broccoli cheese soup- split in half
• 1 package of crescent rolls (the refrigerated kind that you roll out and bake)

1. Season the chicken (I used Famous Dave's Steakburger seasoning... we just love that stuff, but salt and pepper would be just fine) and bake (40 minutes at 350 usually does the trick).  
2. Chop the chicken into small pieces (Slap Chop works awesome for this!). 
3. Combine chicken, chopped broccoli, cheddar cheese, cream cheese and 1/2 can of broccoli cheese soup. 
4. Open the crescent roll package and gently press each pair of triangles together to make 4 rectangles.  
5. Drop a small amount of the chicken mixture into the center and fold dough together, pressing edges. 
6. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. 
7. Top with remaining cheddar cheese and soup and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until topping is melted.

Never Forget

Bless Her Little Heart

I had a chiropractic appointment this morning and Kevin had the day off, so he got Kennedy up and dressed and hung out with her this morning while I went to my appointment and ran a few errands.  (Love that guy!)

As I pulled into the garage to park for my appointment, I received a text with this picture saying, "Mommy can you please fix my outfit when you get home... Daddy has no sense of style."

I about died laughing!  Hope you get a chuckle out of this too.