Why you are getting a Nosefrida from me at your baby shower

File this post under: Stuff I Said I'd Never Do.

There is a whole slew of things we say as non-parents and preggos that will eventually go 100% out the window once we have children. I can't tell you how many times I've said "I'll never let my kid do X" or "I will never buy Y".  At this point I still say these things but I know I'm only lying to myself. Knowing is half the battle, right?!  Like, even right now, I can't believe I'm writing an entire blog post about snot.  Yep. So if you are squeamish better just click that little X in the top right.

When babies are born you are given a little bulb sucker in the hospital to clear out their nasal passageways (there will still be some residual fluid in there; after all, they lived in the stuff for 9 months!).  The one we got at the hospital looks like the below picture and is the best one we have. The one that came with the first aid kit and another one that came with a medication kit both SUCK (but not literally. They don't actually "suck" at all.).

We've been happy to use the hospital bulb to get out rando boogers but until she got sick last weekend we really didn't need it too much and it stayed in the diaper bag most of the time.

Now, the Nosefrida is a special product.  You literally stick a tube on the outside of the baby's nose, and then suck on the other end of it to clear the snot out.  GROSS, right?!?!?!  Upon learning of this I a) gagged and b) swore up and down I would never ever buy such a product. And probably threw up in my mouth just like you just did when you read this.

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That is, until my baby started choking on her own snot. :( Her face turned bright red and Joey flipped her upside down and did a couple very light back blows (it was only snot, after all). She was fine, but it was terribly scary for the two of us.  And that was the moment I realized we needed to more effectively clear out her nose and I ran out to the store and bought the Nosefrida.

So, why am I telling you this? Mostly because I just want you to remember that every time you say you'll never do something you are probably lying to yourself ;).  But also because I recommend this product and will probably buy it for my friends that are having babies (so, watch out!!). As gross as it seems, there is actually no chance of inhaling baby snot thanks to a little barrier sponge.  Also it is highly effective.  Also in case it isn't obvious I wrote this all by myself and received no compensation from Nosefrida or the snot suckers they hand out in hospitals...

AND because you were good I'll provide you with a selfie:

Her expression kills me.

And here are a couple from "school":

Happy Friday!

~SG

Mid-Week Randoms

-Abby got her first cold over the weekend. Friday morning we were all set to head out the door to daycare when I thought she felt warm.  The thermometer read 100.6 so it was a quick dose of Tylenol and a call to the Dr. when they opened. They tested her for Flu and RSV but it's just a cold.  Sick babies are sad, no fun, and need lots of cuddles which I took advantage of.  As I've mentioned before, Abby doesn't like to be held "like a baby" (laying down in my arms). So I knew she was really not feeling well when she let me hold her like that. But I secretly enjoyed the heck out of it.  She's on the mend, although everything has run down into her chest so we're paying close attention to her cough. Poor thing :(

-Abby has generously shared her cold with me.  And Joey isn't too far behind.  Although adults can take things like Dayquil/Nyquil and know how to blow our noses and such.

-This past weekend my sister was in town from Florida, so we trekked up to PA to see her and the fam. I really enjoy sharing Abby with my family.  We are scheduled for another trip up to PA for a memorial service this coming weekend. I'm really hoping the weather doesn't ruin our plans.  We are supposed to get a snow storm of some sort.

Abby and Aunt Laura, who randomly is wearing the same shirt I'm wearing in the above picture.

-Running. The running blog is all but dead, so I don't want to post over there but a quick update on how training is going for the half marathon in march.  It's going! I'm doing run-walk-run intervals of 2:2. I can definitely step it back up to 2:1 at this point but my laziness is getting the better of me.  I read an article about how muscle memory exists in runners that haven't run for a long time. I didn't believe it but after almost 3 weeks I can tell you my body seems to remember it and it feels a lot better than it did when I first started back. I had a fairly easy 3 mile run over the weekend. And by "easy" I mean I wasn't dying like I was at the Rocky Run 5K in November.

Yep. This happened. And it was like 20 degrees and FREEZING hence my ridic outfit.

-Bananas. Our newest adventure in solid foods. These were a pretty big hit.  Note to mamas out there- when your baby tries new food don't be alarmed if their diaper contents change color...(gross but true).

That Mom posting gross pics of goo in baby's mouth

That Mom posting repeat pics of the same thing

OH look she's smiling. Warrants another pic.

-Babywearing. I really like the baby K'Tan so far. Here's a pic of us modeling over the weekend.  Please ignore the heaps of clothing on the bed behind us that I tried to crop out.  I was having fun (or not) trying on spring/summer clothes and bathing suits for our trip.  Some of it fits, some of it doesn't.

-If my sorority taught me anything it's always end on a positive note! So here's a cute pic for ya:

Happy Thursday!

~Sg

Taking the Babe to Dis

As promised, I am here with a full report of our plans for taking little miss to Disney for her first trip. Many people question why we would take an infant to Disney World. "She won't remember it!" is the comment we hear the most.  As DVC members, we will be visiting WDW many, many more times in Abby's lifetime. This trip is not for Abby.  This trip is for her mom and dad to celebrate that we had a baby and we survived!!!

This post is going to be pretty boring for you if you 1. Don't care about Disney, 2. Don't have kids, or 3. Wanted to see pictures.  It's also not going to be very useful as it is 94% speculation, 2% what I've read on the internet and 4% advice received from friends and family.  But, if you've been hanging around this blog for a while (since 2010...wow), you'll know that planning is half the fun and writing about planning is half of half of that fun.

Itinerary
Clearly this was the first thing we did when planning this trip (about a year ago). We chose a shorter trip (~5 days) because we hadn't met Abby yet and we didn't know what kind of baby she would be. Of course she is super easy going and we totally could have booked for 2 weeks but that's okay. More room for subsequent trips ;).  We took a look at the crowd calendar for February  and picked out which parks we'd like to visit.  We picked only a couple restaurants to make reservations in as, again, we didn't know what kind of baby we'd have.  Generally, our planning was really more outlining, as we know we will have to be SUPER flexible.  We don't really plan on riding a ton of rides, staying out of the hotel for hours on end, or staying out very late at night.  We're just going to be in our happy place.  Even if it means sitting on a bench with a Mickey Bar and people watching while Abby naps.

Packing
We're planning on using a grocery delivery service to get us the formula, food, diapers, etc. so we don't need to pack them. I'm bringing copious outfits for Abby and I've actually already started throwing things in a suitcase in her room as I remember them.  She is going to turn 6 months old during our trip (half birthday!!) and I have a really special outfit (and a back up) for her to wear that day :).  I got her a sun hat and she has 2 pairs of sunglasses, in addition to sunblock to keep her skin protected from the Florida sun. I was also advised to get a baby-wearing device that is not a Bjorn.  Since we have a Bjorn and Joey likes it, we are going to bring it.  But I ordered a Baby K'Tan and so far both Abby and I are a big fan of it.  It folds down really small so it will fit into our diaper bag. Also going into the diaper bag: extra clothes for all three of us, ponchos, and stroller rain cover.

Air Travel
I've been reading all sorts of articles about flying with an infant.  Abby is going to sit on one of our laps, which is going to be interesting as she requires to be sitting straight up at all times.  We are going to bring lots of distracting toys (old favorites and new ones) and if all else fails, she loves to play with the iPhone (stellar parenting).  We are bringing the jogger (more on that in a minute) and we're planning to gate check it.  We are also bringing a small bicycle air pump to re-inflate the tires at the suggestion of a friend and disney-with-baby veteran. In terms of identification, we'll need a copy of Abby's birth certificate (although I doubt we will use it as she is clearly an infant). While I'm aware I can bring pre-mixed formula and ice packs through the airport, why go through the trouble?  I'm going to bring powdered formula pre-measured and buy a bottle of water once we get through security.  The baby food she is currently eating comes packaged in less than 3 oz containers so we will not need to have that inspected separately. Have you flown with an infant? Are these ideas terrible? Feel free to contact me with suggestions!!!

Our Hotel
We are staying at the Boardwalk! We will be within walking distance of our favorite park, Epcot and our not-so-favorite park, Hollywood Studios.  My favorite thing about being able to walk to Epcot is that our entrance dumps you out into the middle of the World Showcase.  Convenient that Abby's stroller has two cup holders?? ;) We will also have lots of different transportation options (walk, boat, monorail, bus) which will be fun since I hate taking the bus at Disney! Our hotel room is a villa so that means it has a washing machine and dryer, full kitchen including a dishwasher, microwave, oven, etc. and it comes with a Pack n Play. Since it is two rooms, we will be able to close the door if Abby is sleeping. The Boardwalk also has a pretty nice pool.  It's not going to be warm enough to swim (current weather extended extended forecast is ~70s) but that didn't stop me from buying her a bathing suit, cover up and swim diaper... JUST IN CASE.

Strolling
We're bringing our monster jogging stroller. It's actually not that big and Abby will be able to sit up in it like a big girl. My parents will be down there with their car via auto train, and we dropped off an extra car seat with them this weekend so we will be able to catch a ride here and there.  Our plan to differentiate our stroller from everyone else's is to attach a small plastic pirate flag (I have several). This will come in handy as stroller parking stations get crowded and attendants are known to re-organize while you are on the ride.  So the stroller may or may not be in the same place you left it. It's going to be very different taking on WDW with a stroller.  Our pace is going to slow down astronomically. I apologize in advance to the ankles that are going to get nipped. I also need to practice opening and closing it so I don't break it (again).

Daily Schedule
So Abby's schedule hasn't changed much other than her naps being out of whack. She still eats every 3 hours and is having solid food twice per day (morning/night). I think during our Disney trip we will bump her up to 3x per day since she'll be with us all day anyway. She wakes up around 4-5 for a bottle and then we will most likely go back to sleep since nothing at WDW is open at 5am... I might even get a run in here or there.  We'll have oatmeal (she likes this SO much more than rice cereal) and another bottle around 7-8 and then hit the designated park.  I'm guessing we will get about ~2 hours out of her before she needs her first nap so we'll probably head to a Baby Care Center for some quiet time. Maybe ride 1 or 2 things afterwards and then head back to the hotel around lunchtime. Our plan is to head back to the hotel every afternoon for some rest.  Then go out for dinner and more fun if we're having a good day.  Again, the key to our trip is being flexible so that's really all we are planning to do.  (This worked out well for my birth plan so I'm just going to go with it.)

Special Activities for Abby's First Trip
As I said, Abby won't exactly remember this trip but it is special. We will definitely pick up a "First Visit" button at Guest Services and pin it to her stroller. The main thing is to get her picture taken with Mickey as we plan to do this every year (or so) so we can look back and watch her grow up through the pictures. Luckily we are friends with someone who is friends with Mickey so we may be able to get some special interaction if scheduling works out.  Abby's Aunt Laura also works in the Magic Kingdom on the Jungle Cruise (ask for her if you go!!) so we will get to ride VIP style ;). That's about it.  We are skipping the "First Haircut" this trip because Abby hardly has any hair... And we don't need to wait in line for hourrrssss to meet characters.  Pals with babes... anything I'm forgetting??



Welp... I think that's enough for today.  We've put a lot of thought into it and for all the planning we've done, the main goal is to be flexible and watch Abby for cues about when it's time to go back to the hotel and rest. I think and hope that as long as we do that, then we can have a successful trip!

If you have tips, tricks, ideas, suggestions, etc. I'd love to read them. E-mail them or FB message them to me!!

~SG


Also, since it's not a real post without a picture...

"Carrots"

5 Months Old!

Oh boy are you lucky.  I've been working on this post for a while so it's nice and long ;)

Wow! Our 5th month was a really big and busy one! Abby's first Christmas was so exciting, even though she will not remember it. We gave her way too many presents, took a ton of pictures, and shared her with our family and friends.  We did lots of fun things this month like driving through the neighborhood holiday light display, meeting friends for brunch, and of course decorating the tree and the house for Christmas.  We also had some firsts this month.  Other than Christmas and New Years, Abby sat in her highchair and tried solid food for the first time. She also started holding her own bottle and she discovered her feet! And finally, at the end of her 4th month, she started daycare.

It has only been a week since she started so we are still adjusting.  Her sleep schedule is completely out of whack.  She is taking naps but they are small but she is sleeping through the night (and then some) because she's missing naps during the day.  Fine by me... I really like her teachers and her school and I'm confident she's in good hands.  But of course I still hate that I can't be with her all day. And she has a full class so it's hard for her to get the undivided attention that I wish she could have.  I am beginning to think daycare is more difficult for the mom to get used to than it is for the baby... She has been having fun playing with her new friends, reading stories and doing arts and crafts.

Abby's first "artwork". 

This next month is going to fly by, between work, daycare, busy weekends, and our upcoming trip to Disney where she will turn 6 months old.  (This wasn't exactly planned on purpose but it totally works.)  So, it's time to start planning our first post-baby Disney trip.  To say I'm excited about this is a complete understatement.  Not because I think Abby will know or care about being at Disney World, but because WDW is my (and my husband's) happy place and having a baby is a big deal and kind of all I could focus on for a long time.  Our next trip seemed so far away and unreachable and the fact that it's time to start packing means that I made it through the delivery and recovery and I'm a mom now (all things I really wasn't sure I'd be able to do,..haha).  But enough of that mushy stuff.... let's get on to the 5 month update and I'll be back later to talk about the things I am buying, making, packing, reading, doing, etc. to get ready for our trip.

How many? F-I-V-E

Recent Stats No appointment this month. I'll see if I can remember to stick her on the scale. She is getting so big!!!

Clothes size Into the 6 month size we go!  Pants are officially 6 month, and she kind of but not really fits into 3 month onesies, although the sleeves are a little short.  The 6 month onesies are a little baggy but she will grow into them in no time. I'm sad because there are some 3 month outfits she won't get to wear. It's just too cold. The problem with having your shower in the summer is that the clothes in the stores are all summery.  I've done a pretty good job of getting everything on her at least once, though.

The point of this picture is to show you that her eyes are still blue!

Diaper size Big girl is in size 2 diaper.  Before I had a baby I knew NOTHING about diaper sizes. I didn't even know there were diaper sizes.  I was reading an article about how overwhelming it is to make a baby registry because you don't know what anything is and I can TOTALLY identify with that but I want to say that even if you don't think you will, you learn as you go. It's amazing what I know now that I didn't a year ago.  And I didn't really try to learn anything, it just happens. So, if you are panicking, don't.

Feeding Formula strong! I'm feeling better and better about our decision to do exclusive formula. It's fattening her up nicely ;).  We do 1 scoop regular and 1 scoop of the "AR" (rice based, made for spit up but we use it to keep her tummy full).  She does about six 4oz bottles per day, except her last bottle at night is 6 oz to try to help her feel full for longer.  She has started holding her own bottles, reaching for the bottle with her mouth open, etc.  She also has started reaching for anything that looks like a bottle (see below picture). We started on the rice cereal and she made the most horrible face and moved away from the spoon.  I tried it and I have to say, it tastes awful.  I was talking to a friend who is a pediatrician and she said to toss the rice cereal and to give her some fruits/veggies.  So next we tried Sweet Potatoes and that went over MUCH better.  We aren't doing solid food more than 1x per day, but we will slowly build up over the next month or so as she gets used to it.  I have no idea what I am doing so I'm just giving her tiny bites until she decides she's had enough and moves away from the spoon.  That's the scary thing about parenting.  Nobody knows what they are doing.

Rice Cereal FAIL. This face says "This stuff tastes like crap."

No, Abby. That's Daddy's "bottle"...

Big girl holding her own bottle (still needs some help though)

Despite the face, we liked the sweet potatoes!

Sleeping Abby had been waking up once per night for several weeks before she started daycare.  Four month sleep regression is a thing and it happens for many reasons. For Abby it was because 1. she was waking up because she was hungry and 2. she is becoming more aware of her surroundings. I'd take once per night (and she goes right back to sleep) over what some other friends are dealing with so I'm not going to complain.  Once she started daycare she went back to sleeping through the night.  Poor thing is just exhausted.  On her third day she fell asleep at 6 and I woke her up to 8 to eat and she didn't even open her eyes.  I put her in her crib in her clothes, blue paint on her fingernails and all.  She slept all night like that. Must have had a big day ;)

Personality Abby is continuing to be a very cool and calm baby.  She's very easy going and very very smiley.  She's laughing out loud more often (omg it's so cute) and working on her vocalizations.  I've heard "mmmma!" a few times but I doubt she's talking about me.  She does have the "MA! THE MEATLOAF!" thing down pretty good when she's in her crib and she's hungry.  She's also super interested in the dogs.  She has been reaching out for them and we have "petted" them a few times together.  They are tolerating ;)

Milestones
Can sit unsupported for a few seconds at a time (before she topples over)
Is rolling back to front and front to back more often.  Most of the time her daily reports say she did tummy time for a total of 2 minutes because she just rolls back over when you put her on her tummy. Doesn't like it.

Sitting up by myself

Can pick things up, transfer hands, hold with both hands, etc.
She has not dropped her 3rd (or 4th) nap by any means.
Is starting to babble a little bit and I've heard her string a few consonants together but it's mostly just yelling...

Mom's Corner
New this month! Just a little corner where I can talk about how I'm doing, what I'm doing, etc.
So a while back I wrote about my post baby body and my plans to get back into shape.  Well, I'm about 1 week into my official half marathon training and while I haven't seen any physical changes, each run is getting easier for me.  The first several runs after baby were less than comfortable.  Over time it has slowly gotten better.  While I hate the act of running itself, it feels good to get exercise and accomplish something.

Some more fun pictures from our 5th month: 

The last time we wore this Disney Princess outfit :(

Want.to.sit.up.

Being silly with Dad <3

Hanging in my bed while I get ready for work

Anecdote about Internet Safety

I wanted to tell you guys something that happened this morning.

First I'll give you some background.  I have a personal policy of not posting naked pictures of my baby on Facebook/the internet.  I have many reasons for this but the main one is: privacy.  Private parts are just that.

This morning after I put Abby down for nap #1, I was scrolling down my newsfeed when I came across a picture.  A naked little girl was sitting on a training potty, smiling.  I had no idea who it was so I looked at who'd posted.  Turns out I don't know her either.

A well meaning, and super excited Mom had posted a picture of her kid on the potty and tagged 15 (FIFTEEN) of her friends.  What she didn't realize was that Facebook will take that picture and put it on the newsfeed of her friends' friends.  Let's do some math.  If each friend had 100 friends, that's 1,500 people.  If each friend had 1,000 friends, that's 15,000 people that are potentially going to see your naked child. Most of which don't know you. I don't want to look up statistics about child predators but 1/15,000 is probably a reality.

This was totally disturbing to me.  So, in true Sarah fashion, I sent her a private message.  I explained who I was (how I knew her friend) and that I'm a mom and shared my concerns.  I worried abut how she'd respond but she wrote back immediately and thanked me!

I wanted to share this with you guys so you'll always consider before posting things, whether it is your children or even just yourself!  Double check your privacy settings (I will be doing that now) and don't ever give out too much information.

My little monkey is awake, so I gotta run.  Oh man, I REALLY need to start running again........ but that is a post for another day...  Have a good weekend everyone!

~sg

Happy New Year!

So obviously our New Year's eve plans did not include an all-you-can-drink fancy bar tour or a ride on a party bus in a sparkly dress and tux. This year we had a regular weekday night, except we included some hors d'oeuvres and a champagne toast...at 8pm.

While watching various bad TV and hanging out with Abby, I was messing around with my camera and noticed a whole bunch of features that I didn't know about previously.  One is an artsy function where you snap a picture and it makes 5 artsy prints.  The other is the continuous shutter option for a moving subject..... monthly photo shoots just got a whole lot more exciting!!

I'm semi-sorry the blog has become the one place where I don't mind sharing multiple photos of Abby in the same outfit doing pretty much the same thing... (it's a huge pet peeve of mine...)But I guess I rationalize because you are here because you want to be, right?

So, here's a few pictures from our morning shoot, our second morning shoot after I went to Target, Shoppers, Rite Aid, Dollar General and got party hats, and from our New Year's Eve celebration for 3 (and 2 dogs).

Happy 2015, everyone.

Mom, the sun isn't even up yet. Why the flash?! (WTF)

I'm a lot more interested in smiling without the flash.

And it is now daylight.

When I put this hat on her I snapped her chin by accident.  It was so sad and funny at the same time. I'm a terrible person.

"I can make lots of noise with this."

This one came in 2nd place for the "Which photo to share on Facebook" contest.

The crown wins, though.

Let's just share a moment of silence for this picture.  I'm SO DISAPPOINTED that it did not come out. So. Disappointed.

Chloe is an extremely good sport.

Woo!

Abby's First New Year's party

Getting artsy now!

oooooh

ahhhhh

I call this "New Year's Casual"

The one "picture" of Joey.... but mostly Doc

Things got kinda cray cray!

Twinsies!!!

 ~sg