Elsie Marie-Two Months

Today our little girl is 2 months!  We are having so much fun at home and I can say I LOVE this phase that she is in.  We are starting to naturally fall into a routine  of eating, sleeping, and playing.

Her at home weight is about 10.5 lbs  (We have her 2 month appointment tomorrow so I will give the official measurements then).  She eats between 6-8 times a day and between 22.5 to 28 ounces a day.  She is getting more breastmilk these days about 2/3 breastmilk and 1/3 formula.  Which I am really happy with.  I wonder if I will ever catch up to her needs...who knows.  She is still pretty impatient when it comes to when she wants to eat but she isn't as demanding when she wakes up from her naps.  That may be because she  isn't sleeping as long or as often

She has worked her way into a sleep schedule.  She takes a couple of naps a day and then has been sleeping really well at night.  We have her last feeding around 10:30 and sleeps anywhere until 3:30am-5:30 am.  Lately more on the 5:30 range.  Let me say it has been nice.  When she gets up that late she doesn't really go back to sleep but that will work out okay for when I go back to work.  She does on most days take a morning nap and afternoon nap and will sleep for most of the evening (7:00-10:30 ish when we move upstairs and get ready for bed).

Sleeping in her Daddy's arms is where she spends most of her evenings.

Still loving the cloth diapers.  Yesterday I put on one of her newborn diapers and pretty sure it may be the last time she wheres it.  I can hardly get the velcro to latch.  As for clothes some of her 0-3 sizes are getting a little small.  I better get some photos of her in more of her adorable outfits before she completely outgrowns them.

She is interacting so much more these days.  I LOVE it!  I can't get enough of her smile.  She loves to be in her swing, in her bouncy seat or on her playmat.  In the past week or so she has really found an interest in the things hanging above her head.  Mornings are fun for us because she is always smiling and cooing-another thing she has been doing a lot more of.  

We have done a lot over the past month.  Elsie attended her first "Book Club" night, went to lunch with Steph, a friend from camp and her two kiddos, went to her first Superbowl party, has enjoyed dinner a few times with some friends, and made another trip up to Minnesota where she attended a wonderful baby shower in her honor (separate post to come soon), had a sleepover with her cousin Allie, and Grandma and Grandpa Fenstra (we left for a few hours), and finally got to meet her Uncle Tony.

Below are the comparison of her one month and two month photo.  Not too much of a difference but I imagine that will change as the months go on.  

Can't wait to see what she has in store for us next month!!

Elsie Marie-1 Month

One month ago our little girl was born and what an adventure this past month has been. It has been a learning process for us all, and I have enjoyed every minute of it!  I look back at some of the pictures taken of her right after she was born and she has already changed so much.

Her current weight taken at home is somewhere between 8 lbs 14 oz and 9 lbs.  She is my little chunker :)  She is eating anywhere between 2 oz. to 6 oz a feeding.  She also likes to mix up how long she goes between feedings.  Sometimes is is 3 hours and sometimes it is 5 hours.  She is still eating a mix between breatmilk and formula.   We are currently at a 50/50 ratio which I am pleased with.  Of course I would be happier if she was getting more breastmilk but we are doing better that I had expected.  She definitely lets us know when she wants to eat and has very little patience as we get it ready.  

We have made the switch to exclusively cloth diaper.  Yay!!  It took us a few weeks we are finally there and  she has not be red at all since the switch.  So far what we are doing is working great.  She is still in newborn size but we have also been able to use some of the next size up and some one size diapers.  They are so cute and I love snapping pictures of her in them.  

Not only is she getting so big she is getting so strong!  She is really getting a lot of strength in her neck and can hold her head up for a decent amount of time.  She loves tummy time and we try to do it often.  She has discovered her hands and are mesmerized by them.  At times she looks like she is checking out her biceps but in reality she is checking out her hands.  When she sleeps, she prefers to have her hands out.  We don't really swaddle her anymore, especially with her arms in.  She gets really upset. She loves her daddy's made up songs and listening to my stories.  She hates getting dressed but has finally stopped crying when we change her diaper.  She is officially out of newborn clothes and has moved up to the 0-3 size.  

We like to take outings to get out of the house every now and then.  We have lunch one or twice a week in town with John, Grandma Bev, and Grandpa Dale.  We have also had a girls lunch with Lisa and Kara.  On the days we don't go out for lunch we have lunch at home and if we are lucky John gets to join us.  She had her first dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings and also out at the country club.  She does so good and mostly just sleeps her way through dinner. With all the beautiful weather we have been blessed with this winter we have had the chance to get out for a walk or two as well. She has made one trip up to Minnesota and will be going up soon for another trip where she will finally get to meet her Uncle Tony.  

The bunny is to show scale and I plan to use it to compare month to month photos.  

I love looking at her little nose, mouth, fingers, and toes.  I can't get enough snuggle time and I love watching her as she starts to wake up.  Her stretches are adorable and the sounds she makes are so cute (until she starts crying because she wants to eat now).  I can't imagine anymore what our life without Elsie would be like.  She is truly a blessing and I can't wait for all the adventures that are up ahead.  

Two Week Highlights-Elsie Marie

I can't believe already how big Elsie is getting.  Yesterday she was two weeks old and on Tuesday we had her two week appointment.  It is amazing how fast they change already.  Already I don't want her to grow up :)  I am loving her at this stage right now, she is just so precious and small and snuggly.  Here is a few updates of our life together so far:

Feeding/Breastfeeding
Our biggest challenge thus far has been the breastfeeding.  It started in the hospital and has continued still to this day.  I just don't make enough milk.  I don't feel like my milk really came in.  Since being discharged from the hospital we have had two visits to the lactation consultant and two phone calls from them to check in.  The day after we left the hospital we went back in for a weight check and she maintained which was awesome.  She hadn't lost anymore which was a concern.  Then the next Monday we went back again and she had gained 2 oz.  More good news.  We then changed our routine for feeding at that point.  This is what we have been doing:

• No more feeding tube!  yay!! Let me tell you that was a big pain and definitely needed John to help with it.  
• Pump every three hours with the hospital grade pump that they loaned out to me for two weeks, then feed Elsie that first.  I started getting 1/2 ounce each pumping, then moved up to 1 ounce and now the past few days I have been getting and ounce and a half (this morning I got 2.5 ounces-not typical). 
• Then we supplement with formula until she doesn't want to eat anymore. 
• Take herbal supplements to help produce more milk:  Blessed Thistle and Fenugreek
• Hope she gains more weight and I make more milk.  

Also, we were told that until she gets back to her birthweight we need to wake her every three hours to feed.  We decided to go straight to just pumping for now instead of continuing to nurse so that I could see how much milk I was producing and if it was increasing with hopes that she will be able to go back to nursing.

Two Week Check Up
Elsie had her two week check up on Dec. 27th.  It is hard to believe two weeks had gone by since she was born!!! I have a feeling I will be saying that a lot!!  The first thing they did was weigh her.  It was the moment we had been waiting for.  She really needed to gain weight and boy did she do that.  At her last weight check she was 6 lbs 11 oz and at her appointment she weighed in at 7 lbs 14 oz.  So she gained 1 lb 3 oz in one week.  I was excited!  The rest of her check up went well.  Her length was 20-5/8" long.  We also found out she has a mild case of thrush so she will have to go one medication to get that cleared up.  The doctor also told us we no longer have to wake her up every three hours to eat.  We can go as long as five hours now.  He also recommended that I start to nurse her again first, then give her any breastmilk I have pumped previously and then formula.  He said that nursing will do a better job of helping with my production than just pumping alone.  He also recomended that she be given a Vitamin D supplement since we are doing 1/2 breastmilk and 1/2 formula.  Apparently breastmilk doesn't supply them with the amount of Vitamin D that they need.  So all in all the appointment went great.  Elsie's

Exciting Bits of the Week

These are the things I am excited about for this week!

A)  My mom's last day of her cancer treatment was yesterday!!! YAY!!!!! I pray that never again she will have to go and sit in that stupid chair and get chemicals pumped into her body through her port!!!  She has been doing her Herceptin treatment for a whole year!! (Last time she was diagnosed she was only able to make it through a few treatments before she had to stop because it was damaging her heart too much) This time she was able to get all her treatments!  Every three weeks she goes in and gets her treatment!  Well no more!  YAY!!!!! So let pray that this cancer is gone FOREVER!  That is something to be very excited about!

B)  We found out over the weekend that my brother who has been in Germany for the past 3 years (He is in the Air Force) will finally be moving back stateside.  He will be stationed in Mountain Home, ID.  He is really excited due to all the outdoor opportunities in the area.  We are excited because he is now only a short plane ride away (and affordable-only $250 from Des Moines to Boise at last check).  And we don't have to wait for him to call us from Germany.  We can call him whenever we want!!

C)  Kitchen Update:  Well the countertops were installed last week and the plumber has moved the plumbing.  This week we have been working on installing the last of the cabinets where the old sink was and the pantry cabinets.  I will post pics after the weekend when everything but the floor should be done!

D) Finally the heat here has ended for a while.  Yesterday the high was still 90 degrees.  For this pregnant mama I have had enough!  I run my A/C at 72 and I am still hot!  The 10 day forecast doesn't predict any temps in the 90's YAY!

E)  I ordered my first cloth diaper yesterday!  It is as Grasshopper Quick Dry Bamboo All-In-One in a size M.  If we .  I can't wait to get it in the mail.  www.grasshopperdiapers.com.   Reviews ont his diaper come highly recommended.  The biggest complaint is the cost ($32.00 including shipping). Once we get this one and see what we are getting we are thinking about ordering a small. So we will see!

20 Weeks-Halfway There

Well last Monday I reached our 20 week mark in our pregnancy (I am now 21 weeks).  This first half has gone by so quickly!  I can't imagine how fast the 2nd half will go!  I am still feeling pretty darn good!  I can tell in the last week or so my appetite has definitely increased!  Good thing I am still mostly craving fruits and veggies.  I love this time of year-all I can think about is Watermelon and Cantaloupe.

As far as getting ready for the baby we are actually making some decisions.  We decided on the nursery bedding!  So I can paint the room once we decide on a color!  We also have a daycare provider!  We are really excited about where our little girl will be going!  So that is a big thing out of the way! We of course have decided about cloth diapers (my newest obsession-see previous post).  If you are wondering about names, well we haven't come up with anything yet but we haven't talked much about it yet.  And once we do decide it is going to be mine and John's little secret :)

I think right now my biggest complaint would be the heat.  I have no desire to spend much time outside right now in the Iowa heat.  This is my first summer working inside for a long time, I should be used to summer heat but I think that with being pregnant it is affecting me a lot more!  I am normally a no air conditioning kind of gal but now I say bring it on!  Along with a fan.

Another annyoing thing for me is heartburn.  Some days it is sooooo bad.  Tums have become one of my best friends.

So all in all things are good!  Here is me at 20 weeks.  I can't believe how big my belly is getting!  Seriously!  If I am this big now, how big am I going to be full term!  Maybe because it is the end of the day and my belly if full of food too :)  haha

Cloth Diapers for Our Baby's Bum

So after doing quite a bit of research John and I decided that we are going with cloth diapers for our baby.  Not only is it better for our baby and the environment, it is also quite a bit more economical (especially if you can resist buying all the adorable diapers out there).  There is so much information out there about cloth diapers it can be overwhelming.  I have a few go to sites (my fave being www.allaboutclothdiapers.com) and there is really a community of support too.  With cloth diapers there are challenges and problems that arise but you just have to try to work your way through it.  We are under no presumption that this is going to be easy or as easy and convenient as disposables but in the end we believe it is worth it.  Keep in mind this is coming from a girl who has changed a minimal amount of diapers total in her life.  :)

So a few nights ago I made a spreadsheet which outlines the types of diapers (All in Ones, Fitted, Covers, Pockets, Flats) and how many we need/would like of each as they are a newborn and then an infant.  The whole cloth diaper thing seems to have come a long way in the past years.  No more is it just flats that you fold and hold together with pins and put a plastic coated cover over.  Now you have All in Ones (AIOs) that are just like disposables except you wash them instead of throwing them away, Pockets that you stuff with liners depending on the absorbency amount that you want, and Fitteds that have snaps or velcro but you still need a cover for them.  I picked the brands that I wanted based off of reviews and reccomendations.

So one of the brands that I want is Ragababe.  When I first went to their website they were out of stock and so I decided to check back frequently.  So I check first thing this morning and they were still out of stock.  For some reason I checked again 45 minutes later and they had stocked a couple colors in a couple sizes.  I thought "this is my chance".  Well I was wrong.  In that time they had stocked and were sold out of the ones they stocked already.  They have a minimum per family on how many you can buy in a month so I have a feeling these are good ones.

What I love about these diapers is that they are made by a mom.  Her name is Joy and you can learn about her and her family and how RagaBabe came to be on her website.  www.ragababe.com.  Here is a photo of one of the 2-Step diapers.  Aren't they cute?

 So my quest to get my hands on one of these continues.  These are just one of the many brands I want to try out and have in my stock of diapers.

Overall I am really excited about cloth diapers and am super into doing the research. I am happy to pass any of the information I learn onto anyone else who is interested in learning more.  I think it is something worth considering for your next baby.  If you decided it isn't for you, that's okay.  We may find in the end it isn't for us (let's hope not) but at least we gave it a try.  I am excited!  Now I just have to resist from over buying :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Allie Jean!

So quite a few weeks ago (almost a month already) Allie celebrated her third birthday!  I can't believe what a big little girl she is becoming!  WE had a great time celebrating with her and the family and friends before we headed out on our vacation.  Here are a few pics from the special day! 

 

Barbies!  She was pretty excited about them!  

More excitement over her gifts!

Can't get enough of licking the frosting off the candles.

Enjoying some cake with her friends

Water Fun! 

Hanging out with Grandpa Craig on the porch, taking a break from the water. 

Or so she thought, the sprinkler could reach all the way up to the swing! 

Allie and Uncle John playing upstairs after the guests all left.  

John and I relaxing in the sun!  What a beautiful, enjoyable day!