I apologize in advance for a whiny post. I just need to vent for a minute.
I plan to wean Luke off of breast feeding when he is 6 months old and I can't wait until that day comes.
Don't get me wrong, I can't imagine not nursing him. I firmly believe in the benefits of breast feeding - nutrients for him, weight loss for me, intimate bonding, blah, blah, blah. Also, my boobs have never been bigger. HOWEVER. I am eager to reclaim ownership of my breasts.
This isn't even a sex thing. I don't yet want my husband to claim them either.
As rewarding as the experience is, it can be quite frustrating to be a nursing mom. I have to plan my outfits around boob access. Imagine staring at your closet thinking "Yeah it's cute, but can I whip out the girls while wearing with that top?" There is a large chunk of my wardrobe that is off limits until January.
On top of that, it is difficult to plan "me" time. Steven is more than happy to give me the afternoon off, but I can't be away from Luke for more than an hour or two. Yes, he could take a bottle, but the benefit of a solo outing isn't worth the hassle of pumping. He could also drink formula but that is for emergencies only. So I just stay home. Once January rolls around "me" time will be written on the calendar. In pen.
Tulip Tote Bag
I am so excited - I just bought this sweet vintage tulip tote bag!
You see, now that I am a working mama I have to bring my breast pump to my office but I don't want to look like I am carrying my breast pump. This bag allows me to shuttle my pump in style and leaves room for my purse, my water bottle and the occasional sweater. Yummy.
You Have Never Experienced Pain...
... until you have knocked your breast pump on the floor while it was still suctioned to your breasts.
Not as horrible as childbirth, but close.
Not as horrible as childbirth, but close.
Ooh, Shiny! [update]
You remember the ring Steven gave me at the hospital?
You may also remember that it still needed to be sized and engraved. We finally got it done - it's still hard to get out for non-essential errands with a newborn - and I love the sentiment Steven picked for me.
IT'S GETTING BETTER
He was struggling with what he wanted the inscription to be when, serendipitously, the Beatles' song Getting Better came on the iPod. He knows I love the Beatles and he felt that with our (still) new house and Luke's arrival our life was just getting better and better. Just ignore the fact that the song mentions spousal abuse and rebelling against your teachers. Now I love it even more!
You may also remember that it still needed to be sized and engraved. We finally got it done - it's still hard to get out for non-essential errands with a newborn - and I love the sentiment Steven picked for me.
IT'S GETTING BETTER
He was struggling with what he wanted the inscription to be when, serendipitously, the Beatles' song Getting Better came on the iPod. He knows I love the Beatles and he felt that with our (still) new house and Luke's arrival our life was just getting better and better. Just ignore the fact that the song mentions spousal abuse and rebelling against your teachers. Now I love it even more!
Nursery Bassinet
As I was moving the bassinet to take pictures of the crib bumper, I realized I never shared it with you guys.
This is no ordinary bassinet - it is a family heirloom. My great-grandmother, aka Granny, made it for my mom to sleep in when she was a baby, then I slept in it when I was born. I was so thrilled when my grandmother offered it to me for Luke to use.
Granny was quite the crafter - I like to think I got that from her. She often made beautiful things from everyday objects and this bassinet is no exception. The frame is a simple wicker laundry basket nestled into a wooden frame.
To make it baby-ready she padded it with quilt batting and sewed this elegantly pleated skirt that drapes over the inside and outside of the basket. The mattress is just a standard pillow and pillowcase.
My mom and I replaced the batting and washed the skirt to freshen things up, but other than that it's exactly like Granny made it. I hope Luke knows just how special his first bed was.
This is no ordinary bassinet - it is a family heirloom. My great-grandmother, aka Granny, made it for my mom to sleep in when she was a baby, then I slept in it when I was born. I was so thrilled when my grandmother offered it to me for Luke to use.
Granny was quite the crafter - I like to think I got that from her. She often made beautiful things from everyday objects and this bassinet is no exception. The frame is a simple wicker laundry basket nestled into a wooden frame.
To make it baby-ready she padded it with quilt batting and sewed this elegantly pleated skirt that drapes over the inside and outside of the basket. The mattress is just a standard pillow and pillowcase.
My mom and I replaced the batting and washed the skirt to freshen things up, but other than that it's exactly like Granny made it. I hope Luke knows just how special his first bed was.
Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk
I now know where that saying came from. But rather than cry, I just let out an exasperated "fuuuuuuuuuuuck."
You see that dark spot? That's where my pumped milk spilled and started leaking through my cooler on the way home. That's what I get for cramming 2 milk bags and a freezer pack into a cooler designed to hold only a single bottle. *Sigh*
You see that dark spot? That's where my pumped milk spilled and started leaking through my cooler on the way home. That's what I get for cramming 2 milk bags and a freezer pack into a cooler designed to hold only a single bottle. *Sigh*
Don't You Just Hate It...
... when you sit down to nurse the baby and IMMEDIATELY realize you have to pee?
Crib Bumper
Back when I designed the crib bedding I couldn't decide if I wanted a crib bumper and i figured that if Luke ended up needing one it wouldn't be for a while.
He started out sleeping in his bassinet and we switched him to his crib over the past weekend. We assumed since he can't crawl or roll over there was no danger of him bumping his head.
WRONG.
When I put him to bed, he is laying like this...
... but when I wake him up he's like this...
... or even this.*
He started out sleeping in his bassinet and we switched him to his crib over the past weekend. We assumed since he can't crawl or roll over there was no danger of him bumping his head.
WRONG.
When I put him to bed, he is laying like this...
... but when I wake him up he's like this...
... or even this.*
In the interest of preserving my sweet boy's perfectly round head I put in a crib bumper. Steven's grandmother picked it up at a yard sale and gave it to me. The pattern is a little busier that what I would have picked, but as you can see the green plays nicely with the wall color and navy sheet.
If you step away and squint the tone on tone print reads like a solid so it's not in too much competition with the crib skirt.
*Steven made fun of me when he saw the crib diagrams. Something about having way too much time on my hands. Whatever. I like making diagrams.
For something that came from a yard sale, this goes surprisingly well with the existing nursery decor. The green matches the mobile and changing table and the elephants tie into the tea towel calendar I embroidered.
Green, elephants and a zero price tag? Yes, please. You likey?
*Steven made fun of me when he saw the crib diagrams. Something about having way too much time on my hands. Whatever. I like making diagrams.
The Reluctant Father
This (terrifyingly true) sentiment, written by Phillip Toledano, is an excerpt from his photo essay The Reluctant Father. His photos are beautiful and his words even more so. Please visit his website to read more.
Makin' Faces - 2 Months
I haven't posted baby pics in a while, so I won't keep you waiting.
happy face 
serious face
silly face (Daddy put the pants on his head)
It's amazing how much he's changed in just 2 months!
serious face
silly face (Daddy put the pants on his head)
Truths of Motherhood - Part 1
- When you become a mother time ceases to pass beyond the birth of your baby. For example, I got a wedding invitation in the mail this week and the RSVP card needed to be returned by October 1. I thought "Odd. Why are they giving people so long to respond?" You see, in my mind, Luke was born in July and he's still a newborn so it's late July, early August at the latest. Then I realized that it's actually mid September, I have to do the RSVP right away and OHMYGODMYBABYISGROWINGUP.
- When you become a mother you begin a life on constantly doing laundry. Before I had Luke I would do laundry once a week, at most. I wouldn't let it really pile up or get out of hand, but the hampers were always nice and full before I would start a load. Now, we have this snowball effect.
- When you become a mother you begin a life on constantly doing laundry. Before I had Luke I would do laundry once a week, at most. I wouldn't let it really pile up or get out of hand, but the hampers were always nice and full before I would start a load. Now, we have this snowball effect.
"Oh, we're running low on diapers. I should wash some."
pause
"Well, if I'm washing whites I should go ahead and do a whole load."
pause
"I might as well wash the colors and darks too."
So this is now my life. I do laundry all the time and I can't stop myself.
Dairy Queen
I'm a Dairy Queen. Get it? Nursing mom... Dairy Queen... I can't be stopped.
T-shirt tried on (but not purchased) at Target.
T-shirt tried on (but not purchased) at Target.
Product Review: Onesie Extenders
Luke is growing so fast he is already too big for some of his 0-3 month clothes, even though he's not even 2 months old yet! I had seen some onesie extenders on someone else's blog so I had to try them for myself.
Now take a gander at an extender in action. Admittedly, Luke looks a little silly wearing his extended onesie...
The $10 price tag is well worth it to extend the life of his wardrobe! Tell me, moms, are there other miracle products out there?
Just so ya know, no one paid me or perked me for mentioning this product. It's just something I found on my own and wanted to share with you guys.
I bought a pack of 10 - 2 each of 5 different snap sizes. Supposedly the different snap sizes correspond to various clothing brands. To tell them apart I marked each pair with a symbol using a permanent marker.
After I marked the extenders I tried them with his wardrobe and discreetly tagged each onesie with the appropriate symbol.
Here you can see how an extender adds a few needed inches to a onesie.
Now take a gander at an extender in action. Admittedly, Luke looks a little silly wearing his extended onesie...
... but with shorts on, no one is the wiser!
The $10 price tag is well worth it to extend the life of his wardrobe! Tell me, moms, are there other miracle products out there?
Just so ya know, no one paid me or perked me for mentioning this product. It's just something I found on my own and wanted to share with you guys.
It's The Little Things
Motherhood is great. It really is as wonderful as everyone told me it would be.
Most days I think to myself "I could totally handle another one of these." Not two newborns, mind you, but a new baby and an older, less needy baby.
Then there are days when it's all I can do to keep Luke in a clean diaper - I don't get to eat my sad little sandwich until well past lunchtime and I can kiss my shower goodbye. He's crying and I'm so stressed I could use a good cry myself.
Then something magical happens. We go to our nursing chair, he starts to eat and then I feel his tiny hand on my side as he settles in. Suddenly my frustrations melt away and all is right in the world. That moment, right there, makes everything else worth it. I would have ten more babies just to hold on to that magical feeling.
Most days I think to myself "I could totally handle another one of these." Not two newborns, mind you, but a new baby and an older, less needy baby.
Then there are days when it's all I can do to keep Luke in a clean diaper - I don't get to eat my sad little sandwich until well past lunchtime and I can kiss my shower goodbye. He's crying and I'm so stressed I could use a good cry myself.
Then something magical happens. We go to our nursing chair, he starts to eat and then I feel his tiny hand on my side as he settles in. Suddenly my frustrations melt away and all is right in the world. That moment, right there, makes everything else worth it. I would have ten more babies just to hold on to that magical feeling.
Baby Toy
Luke has gotten lots of toys from our family and friends, but this one is his new favorite!
Well, I call it his favorite but, really, it's just the only one that's light enough for him to pick up. The bucky ball, which is based on the geometry of the Bucky Fuller's famous geodesic dome, is perfect for his little hands - lightweight with lots of places to grab. This will be the first of many design based toys to come!
Bragging Time
The Scene: Steven and I are laying in bed, asleep.
I hear Luke over the baby monitor, waking me for the first time of the night. He isn't crying, really, just softly fussing to himself. I stay put because I amlazy training him to self soothe. As his fussiness just starts to transition to real crying Steven's alarm clock goes off.
I roll over to Steven, "Do you know what that means?"
"Luke slept through the night?"
"Exactly." I try to high-five him, but we're half asleep so we miss.
Because he missed his 3:00 am feeding he's been playing catch up today. Seriously. I've had a Luke-shaped parasite hanging off my breast all. day. long. But I don't care, because I got a full night's sleep!
I'm not so cocky as to think he's already settled into a long-term sleep pattern, but it's a step in the right direction.
I hear Luke over the baby monitor, waking me for the first time of the night. He isn't crying, really, just softly fussing to himself. I stay put because I am
I roll over to Steven, "Do you know what that means?"
"Luke slept through the night?"
"Exactly." I try to high-five him, but we're half asleep so we miss.
Because he missed his 3:00 am feeding he's been playing catch up today. Seriously. I've had a Luke-shaped parasite hanging off my breast all. day. long. But I don't care, because I got a full night's sleep!
I'm not so cocky as to think he's already settled into a long-term sleep pattern, but it's a step in the right direction.
The Perfect Clutch
As most moms can attest to, it is just not practical to carry a diaper bag and a large purse. At first I just stashed my wallet into the diaper bag but that left me with no place to put my keys and phone when my diaper bag was left behind in the car. I decided I needed a small purse that would work on its own but also fit in the diaper bag, so I picked up this pleated bag from lireca's Etsy shop.
It's the perfect size to hold my phone, keys, wallet and some lip balm.
My favorite feature is the strap. It makes it so easy to slip over my wrist and leaves both hands free for cart pushing and baby wrangling.
It's the perfect size to hold my phone, keys, wallet and some lip balm.
My favorite feature is the strap. It makes it so easy to slip over my wrist and leaves both hands free for cart pushing and baby wrangling.
Also, I'm super excited that it goes with my new gray nail polish.
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