Coast to Coast with Lyn & Leigh

During bath last night, as I was washing Alyssa’s hair and she was whining for a towel for her eyes, it occurred to me that I really should’ve started things differently. Instead of carefully pouring water on her hair all that time ago, I should’ve been gently dumping it on her head. She wouldn’t be so sensitive to water in her eyes (same goes for Haylie). And it’s even affected their swimming - neither girl can stand getting splashed in the face, and are hesitant to put their faces in the water even with goggles. 

You know what they say, hindsight is 20/20! Thought I’d mention it so that maybe YOUR kiddos will not be yelling for someone to please wipe their eyes every two seconds.

Clearly I haven’t taken a bath photo for awhile - I think this was almost 2 years ago, as Haylie still looks like a baby (here’s where I start to well up and think about my babies growing so fast)…

I was pretty much a pumping failure. I breastfed exclusively for 8 months with Alyssa and 6 months with Haylie, but I could never seem to get anything out with the pump! Hook a baby up, and it’d be practically running out of their mouths. But a pump? No. I’d work all day for just a measly few ounces. Lyn, on the other hand, is a pumping champ. I’m happy for her that she’s not like Cinderella with a 3 hour window - it is liberating, I’m sure! 

Whether you’re a pumper or ‘just barely’ like I was, breastmilk is like liquid gold. And because I love organizing and making a good process out of everything, I wanted to share Sensible Lines Milk Trays with you. I met these gals at Baby Celebration LA a few years ago, and it made such great sense. Kind of a ‘why didn’t I think of that?’

Their FDA-approved and ‘green’ plastic trays are specifically designed for freezing breastmilk. And get this- each ‘milk stick’ of frozen breast milk is 1 ounce and will fit through any size bottle opening. It makes it so easy to measure your milk and avoid wasting it. Perf, too, for working moms and caregiver situations. Their website is loaded with great info. on breastfeeding and properly freezing/storing breastmilk. Check it out here. We love supporting other Mommy-created and run businesses!

Little kids are always saying such adorable and funny things - especially when they’re YOUR kids! Today I was talking with Alyssa about school coming up, and how excited I am for her.  I said, “I wish I could be there with you!” and she said, “That would be fun! I wish someone just like you was born on my same birthday.”

I’ve come up with an easy way to save these cute tidbits: create a document on your desktop, and at the end of each day, jot down anything you’d love to remember. As I was writing this recent one down, I scrolled up to the other dates/sayings and got a chuckle out of it! Like when Haylie said it ‘just wasn’t the same without Alyssa in the car too,’ or when Alyssa wanted us all to marry the Wiggles so we could live in the Wiggle House together, or how Haylie says ‘Ub-its’ instead of ‘Is it’… when Craig was BBQing, she asked, “Daddy, ub-its meat?” 

So save your adorable things now! It helps if you scrapbook, as well, cause you can make a note of which layout you will use it with. Or just have it on record to print out and stick in their photo albums. Might also be fun at birthdays as a way to revisit the year. Cause they grow up too darn fast.

So Lyn calls me in a bit of a panic tonight. She and I are big ‘Baby Whisperer‘ followers, and she knows how important it is to ’start off how you want it to be’ (begin routines from the get-go). Anyway, for the past few nights Grant had been fussy at bedtime, and Lyn and Michael had picked him up and held him until he fell asleep. Luckily Lyn saw the red flag! She didn’t want him getting used to this and therefore depending on being held - this is crucial ‘learning how to sleep’ time!

We determined that he’s been happiest when held more upright, which also coincides with his increase in spitting up. Might be a bit of a tummy thing or growth spurt - who knows. But relying on being held to fall asleep is a slippery slope. It made me think of back when my babies got head colds. They were so congested and uncomfortable, that I resorted to putting their bouncy chairs IN THEIR CRIB, strapping them in, and letting them sleep peacefully more upright. Yes, I tried the under-the-mattress wedges, but they barely did anything, and my babies kind of slid off them. Perhaps this method would work in helping Grant get back his sleeping groove!

Now, we’re not recommending this long term or anything. But it’s getting Grant back to falling asleep by himself, in his crib, and slightly elevated for his tummy. Seems to be doing the trick - Lyn snapped this photo of him watching his musical fish. The vibrate is on low, which Lyn will click off in a bit, and after his first nighttime feed (when he’s been asleep awhile) she’ll take out the bouncy and lay him down. They’ll be able to transition away from this much easier.

Sometimes what gets you over the hump is not something you’d ever find in a book, but instead, from a fellow Mommy and friend…

The first 5 weeks have flown by and we are in the process of training Grant to be an A#1 sleeper. Here are my top 10 Tips for a blissful newborn sleeper (not without the help of my cross-continent newborn baby sleep coach expert - Leigh):

10. Make sure baby is not too hot or too cold.

9. Swaddle baby up good and tight.

8. Make sure to get a good burp out of baby.

7. When baby is overly tired and punching the air, literally ’shush’ baby to sleep.

6. Of course, make sure the diaper is dry.

5. Dream feed baby at 7:00 (that’s Grant’s bedtime). Turn out all the lights, change his diaper, swaddle him up and then feed him very quietly with no eye-contact or talking. Feed him until he falls asleep and then carefully lie him down.

4. For mid-night feedings, check diaper first, if dry, feed baby in dark with no eye-contact or talking. Repeat… Feed him until he falls asleep and then carefully lie him down.

3. For a baby that won’t quiet down for a mid-day nap either try running the vacuum cleaner or if your laundry is close to baby’s room pop in a load to create a steady ‘white noise’.

2. For the first few weeks, sleep positioners work great to help baby feel contained and secure (like in the womb)

1. Routine is more important than time - focus on the routine, and differentiate between nighttime and daytime. When it’s officially morning, be sure to open the windows and let light on baby’s face. Practice E.A.S.Y. (eat, activity, sleep, time for yourself) during the day, and dream feed at night. WARNING - at about 4 months, try replacing one nighttime feed with a binky or music - baby does not NEED to eat - it has become routine. And we certainly don’t want to ‘teach’ them to keep waking up at night!

Getting ready to to head out of town with the girls, and in my preparation craziness, I almost forgot to pack the lolipops! If you have a toddler or small child(ren), it’s a good idea to have something they will suck on for the airplane’s descent. Their ears can be so sensitive, and I’d rather have my child happily sucking away on a lolly than screaming (especially these organic, gluten free lovelies from Yummy Earth). I always bring a few extra to pass out to other parents who might be in need. Also, my girls are finally at the age to wear the regular airplane seatbelt, but if your child is in that ‘middle phase’ where they are too big for the car seat (and their feet kick the seat in front of you), but too wiggly for the lap belt, ask around your friends to borrow one of those harness straps that are made for airplanes.

So… shoes that come off easily for security, a backpack for me, charged dvd player and favorite videos (with one new one), Color Wonder pens with fresh books, bag o’Lolipops (see below), and of course leaving a clean house (something I learned from Mom) - we’re off to Cali (although those of us from California never really called it that).

Here’s an interesting article that Lyn’s hubby Michael emailed us - about how Moms are, in essence, making their own rules when it comes to work. Many of us want to be with our kids full-time, but still have a lot to offer in the way of professional talent. The article focuses on several staffing agencies that connect career-women-turned-stay-at-home-moms with employers that want experienced, highly skilled workers for temporary work that is flexible in hours and location. Many allow Moms to work from home, and with their own hours.

The article calls these jobs a part of the ‘new normal of flex careers.’ And they are usually NOT about the money. It’s part-time after all. But think about it this way - you’re not paying for childcare! It’s also a good way to avoid a huge gap on your resume.

Lyn and I are happy to be a part of the Mommy Power trend with our company. New For Baby uses a Mommy photographer, Mommies for order processing, with hours that work with their kids’ schedules… it makes sense, really. Who better to represent our company, than those with babies themselves? And we definitely make our own rules. Conference calls during our kids’ naps and/or quiet time, inventory while hubby is playing with the kids, and a lot of late nights on our computers! Just the other day I took a call from an editor while I was watching the girls’ gymnastics. You can’t always have it all, but you can have the important stuff.

These kids are what it’s all about. We don’t want to miss a thing.

Well I’m about half way through my pregnancy and I thought I would share some books that I have enjoyed throughout this time. I received one of my favorite books as a gift from my mom early on in my pregnancy. It is called, The Belly Book: A Nine Month Journal For You and Your Growing Belly by: Amy Krouse Rosenthal

This book is great because you can journal about your pregnancy from your first to third trimester. There are separate sections for each trimester. Each section has a special place to journal about doctors appointments, ultrasounds, cravings, and any other pregnancy milestones. There are even places to put pictures of ultrasounds and your growing belly each week. I love it because it is in a week-by-week format where I can write specific things about each week. I think it is going to be a great way to look back and remember my pregnancy.

I received a few other books including the popular, What to Expect When Your Expecting, but was not impressed with this book. The other book that I have really enjoyed is, The BabyCenter Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth .

I love this book because it goes into so much detail about each trimester. In each section there is a week-by-week guide to describe what is happening with you and your growing baby at that week. There are pictures that show what your growing belly looks like along with your baby. Each section has a wealth of information about the trimester you are in including: symptoms, problems, travel advice, eating well, emotions, finances, etc. I am so impressed with this book, you could call it my bible. Adam loves it when I tell him each week what is happening with the baby. It is very user friendly and I would recommend it to anyone who is going through pregnancy their first time, like myself. I think I might have the older version because the newer ones have a different picture on the cover. Both books can be found at bookstores and also various websites. Happy reading!

WOW! I cannot believe that a month has flown by already. We’ve got Grant on a pretty good routine now. There is one thing that has been bugging me. Right after I nurse him around 10 PM he is all fussy and will not go back to sleep and ultimately I have to ‘top him off’. Then, ding ding ding, something from my classes flashed into my memory. Apparently the first feeding in the morning has the thickest breast milk and makes baby very sleepy. So… today I have pumped that off and will save it for the 10 PM feeding.

Fingers crossed for tonight.

Since my girls are such animal and nature lovers, we decided to surprise them by ordering a ‘Caterpillar To Butterfly Kit’ online. $29.99 for 2 weeks of magical fun! 6 tiny, still caterpillars arrived in their sealed cup with mush food, and on Day 2 they began to wake up and start eating. We watched them eat, poop, and grow, until they somehow knew it was time, and climbed up to the lid to form their chrysalis. We then moved the lid into the pop-up netted habitat. About a week later, they began emerging! It was so cool to see the process up close. We fed them watermelon and sugar water, and due to a short life span (2-4 weeks), we decided to let them free on their 3rd day of being butterflies.

It’s a beautiful Portland summer day. Slight breeze. Each girl got to reach in and let a butterfly hop on their hand, lifting it out with such wonder! No surprise, I got choked up. Once they took to the air, the girls were jumping up and down, “You’re free sweet butterflies! Welcome to the world! Go explore!” Which got me thinking about college…13 years until then, thank GOSH. Don’t even get me started…