Apricots, Luvs and Diapers.com

We are trying 3 new things today....apricots for breakfast, LUVs diapers and ordering from Diapers.com. I don't find Diapers.com to be less expensive than Target or Costco or WalMart....but I got a 15% off promo (BDBabyBaby) and free shipping today so I will give it a try.

Apricots are a winner...I will fill you in on the LUVs and order service when my goods arrive!

How I cook babyfood!

I have been talking about this a lot with other moms (and a soon to be mom!) lately. First of all, yes I did covet the Beeba Baby Cook...I drooled over it and thought about it but did not want to spend the $$$ on it (like $140). On a good day I am frugal, on a bad day I am cheap!!!

So here is what I do:

I have a magic bullet (Cooks brand from JCPenny) and actually a very small counter top food processor (Kid Co brand). I had the magic bullet thing before and got the KidCo as a gift. Both great because the mechanical parts are totally separate from where the food goes...so you can put EVERYTHING that touches the baby food into the dishwasher for a good scrub.

I also did not buy the special baby food storage containers...Most Gladware and Tupperware is BPA free now and I rarely if ever microwave in the plastic anyway...So I used some of the 1 cup and 1/2 cup containers with lids I already had (also a fast clean in the dishwasher).

Here are my cooking techniques for some of the foods we have eaten so far (note, our farm share starts next week and we will be getting huge boxes of veggies...so watch for dinner to get super yummy soon!!! as for the last month or so, we have done a lot of frozen veggies and root veggies) Note, everything I store is 'single serve' to prevent spoon contamination.:

1. sweet potato: Scrub the outside skin under running water (I use a very small drop of dish soap), punch a bunch of fork holes in it and put it right on the oven rack with another pan on the rack below to catch the drippings. I usually bake 3 or 4 of these bad boys at a time, one for Elle and a couple for our dinner. Bake on 350 for about an hour. Let cool for about 25 minutes (or as long as you need...) then I peel the skin off it (good dog treat) and drop it into the KidCo to mash. I do not add anything to this paste. Then I divide it into 4 or 5 containers. I usually serve one that night and then put one in the fridge and 3 in the freezer. Elle only eats about 2-4 tablespoons of food at a time...but I like to make extra in case she gets hungry. We do not enforce "clean plate club" in our house. When I get ready to serve it I warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave and then add breast milk until it is a nice consistency...something like a creamy mashed potato. WINNER!
   
   
2. pear, plum, peach, apple: Scrub the outside skin under running water (I use a very small drop of dish soap), peel the pear before you cook it (chemicals used to protect fruit from bugs hangs out in the skin so you don't want it leaching into the fruit sauce). Dice it up, put it in a pyrex or other oven safe glass dish, add about 1 teaspoon of water. Cover and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. Let cool for about 25 minutes (or as long as you need...) and drop it into the KidCo to mash. This is usually the consistency of apple sauce. Then I divide it into 4 or 5 containers. I usually serve one that night and then put one in the fridge and 3 in the freezer. WINNER!
   
   
3. Peas, green beans, carrots, corn (frozen) white potato: Put in a small sauce pan on the stove barely covered with water. Put the lid on. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 6 minutes (everything should be fork tender). Drain in a small strainer and drop it into the KidCo to mash. I do not add anything to this paste. Then I divide it into 4 or 5 containers. I usually serve one that night and then put one in the fridge and 3 in the freezer. When I get ready to serve it I warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave and then add breast milk until it is a nice consistency...something like a lumpy mashed potato. WINNER!

I mix a lot of veggies together....I also mix them with white potatoes. Bananas and avocados are served raw, very ripe and smashed. Usually the bananas and avocados don't need any breast milk to thin them out. I also keep a list of what day I introduce each food (partially to watch for allergies and partially just to remember what I did in case Elle gets to be a big sister).

Blue berries and grapes have been introduced via the Baby Safe Feeder. It is like a double mesh bag that you stuff food into with a handle...Elle gnaws on it and in this way both self feeds and soothes those tender gums. I cut the grapes in half. I also sometimes freeze the fruit. What a treat that is. Elle was waving that thing over her head like it was a party!!! It is strawberry season soon, so I want to introduce them (worried about allergies, but will watch careful).

Hot weather

I know how to dress Elle for cold nights...but what do I do now that the weather is changing? Do I still put an undershirt/onsie under her cotton pajamas? Last night I put the ceiling fan on in her room with regular pajamas and a onsie. Is that ok? We will install her air conditioner when it gets a little warmer (probably over the weekend because we have to clean it and put a filter in). What temperature should I set it to?

Elle started formula last night...

As I have lamented, since my hospital stay I just don't make enough milk anymore and so we have started supplementing Elle's night time meal with formula. Last night I had about 5 oz frozen breast milk to which I added 1 oz of formula. I want to start slow! For the first night since I have been home she slept from 9:15 to 4:00 am. That was great for us. I think I will do the same thing until we run out of frozen breast milk. I have several packets ranging in volume from 2 to 5 oz...the pediatrician said she can eat up to 6 oz before bed and so if I use a packet of frozen or two and supplement that volume with some formula we are making a nice transition for mommy and baby alike. Hopefully that will make her sleep more.

Feeding time

Bananas strait up are not a hit. I don't know if it is their "silky" texture (as I tell Elle) or their "pleasant" aroma, but they make her do a funny little gag. So we don't eat them neat anymore. She likes them cut with veggies so we will try that more often.

Elle is onto 2 feedings a day for the last 5 days. That has increased her food filled poops to 2 a day also. Yummy. You really don't think about how useful water in a toilet is in covering the aroma of poop until you are changing food filled diapers.

Like Mr. Bishop says, it was gross until it is your kid...then you just do it.

Last night Elle had a potato for the first time. I got little white potatoes and she had potato and carrot for dinner. They were a big hit swirled together...the potato must have been a little bland on its own because it was decidedly less popular than the carrots.

Yo Gabba Gabba Live at Radio City Music Hall

Hello Moms!

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This information was provided to me by Miles Of Marketing (www.milesofmarketing.com)

Daddy Time

Mr. Bishop experienced a 'major fecal incident' last night (his words, not mine). Elle poops regularly now, every 24 hours...usually at about 9 am. Mr. Bishop usually is not home for the festivities. She went a whole 36 hours last night which created a bit of a back up. As he was playing with her she had a good blowout doody. He had to do double tub water. He was also impressed with how noticeable the aroma of veggies was! He didn't think she ate that much.

At the doctor yesterday we got approved to introduce a massive list of veggies and fruits and even meat. I can't wait. We are also going to start doing two meals a day, breakfast and dinner. Our pediatrician said at 6 months we should be comfortable introducing a huge list of food. She saved a list of "other" items for 9 plus months...that is where all the treats are!

6 month check up

Elle has her six month check up today....back to our regular pediatrician in the group.
Initial questions include:

1. Why did the other doctor tell me she should have been on vitamins if you said for the previous 5 months that she did not need them? (need to find a way to say this without sounding like a psycho)
   *Dr. said don't worry and sorry that it came across stressful. Now at 6 months she can start a vitamin with fluoride and iron supplements that is by prescription.
   
2. I had massive abdominal surgery, did I mess up my kid? Is she ok that I can't pick her up? (my dad will be with me so I have to explain the bearded old guy anyway)
   *She will be fine
   
3. Any formula suggestions? (yes, like vitamins, still agonizing over this)
   *Try what you have first...if no reaction, stick with it. Also, she can have up to 3 full food meals a day including a wide variety of fruits, veggies, meats and yogurt! Also we will be introducing water!
   
4. How do I know how much formula to give her at night when we switch to formula?
   *4 to 5 oz is good for now.
   
5. When I put Elle to sleep (on her back) she usually rolls over on to her tummy now. Sometimes she smushes her face into the crib mattress. Is that ok? I stand there for a long time watching her breathing. Is that creepy for her?
   *It is ok.
   
6. Should she be sitting up more? She really doesn't like to sit up unless I am sitting with her. She usually sits for a second and then 'rolls' into a forward cobra pose.
   *She is fine. She seems strong. Look for a supported sitter now (either arms in a tripod with her legs and fanny. By 9 months she should be able sit and play.
   
7. When should she crawl? She puts her fanny in the air and sits on all fours and rocks but doesn't really get the crawl thing yet. She also 'swims' on the ground...arms and legs going furiously! Funny, but not particularly productive.
   *Don't worry, she is on track.
   
8. Is it ok that we let her play in the bath tub? She sits in there and plays with her toys. (We sit with her) I assume she is peeing while she is playing because it is a nice warm bath and she is a baby. Is that gross for her?
   *Don't worry.
   

Message of the day, mellow yellow.

Boobie talk

An old friend posted on her facebook yesterday that if you breastfeed one or more of your children your insurance company should "pay to put the goods back". I happen to agree! I am not even done with the first kid yet and already Elle has turned my boobies into pancakes. They look so full and lustrous right before she eats, but by the end of breakfast I have to hoist them back into an underwire bra.

Transitioning away from EBF

I think it is time for me and Elle to start moving away from exclusive breast feeding. It has become a physical toll on my body and I don't think post surgery I am making enough for her at her last feeding of the night.

Last night her dad gave her a 5 oz pumped bottle before bed and we got 7 hours of sleep from our little angel. Since I have been home she has barely slept 4 hours at night. I think it might be that I just don't have a sufficient night time supply.

This is hard for me. While I say I am flexible, we have been doing this thing for 6 months now and it is a routine. It is also the only thing that I could do for her my first 10 days home from the hospital. I still can't pick her up or play crazy. I feel like it is all I can do for her. But I need to do what is best for her. This is best for her and for Mr. Bishop and me. I think we will spin down our frozen reserves of pumped milk and then go to a formula bottle at night.

Change is hard for this mama bear! Some change I just roll with, like the constant kind...today Elle is rolling, tomorrow she is creeping...that works. But big change like this is hard! Or I am just crazy.

Tooth Tooth Tooth!

It cut! Sooooo happy!

Another one on the way... so cranky!

My mom ruined my kid!!

Elle had a great nap routine. We had general times she slept (you know, between 9 and 10) not totally rigid times, but a good schedule. I would watch her eyes and face and put her right down at the first sign of sleepy. She usually yelled for about 10 seconds. When she yelled her Granny hugged her and kissed her and rocked her. Her mommy tells her everything is ok and walks away! I could never do this for any prolonged crying, but it never lasted more than a minute on the clock (yes I watched because her crying breaks my heart) so I was ok.

When I tried to put her down for her nap this morning (she was obviously tired) she yelled and looked right past me over my shoulder. Then she turned over and pulled herself up to look around for Granny. She yelled and looked and yelled and looked. She was angry. I kept coming back and holding her hand and telling her everything was ok, but she would not look at me! She wanted her Granny back!

Bad Mommy....bring me Granny!

Recalls

I got an $8 refund today for my infant Tylenol....http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/page.jhtml?id=/include/new_recall.inc...now I am hoping this buys me the piece of mind to think that I did not hurt my kid by using it for the last 3 months.

I am still waiting on my Carters recall refund.

We had a busy day today. Elle is loving sweet potatoes. I want to start maybe some green beans tomorrow. She went for a walk and met some friends out...everyone that Elle meets is a friend. She is such a pleasant human being, yet another reason I am not sure she is actually my kid... She looks just like her dad... she likes EVERYONE... she is happy in the morning! She is my little yang to my crazy yin.

Full sentences

Every day Elle amazes me. She has started 'talking' in full sentences. When people around her are having a conversation, she interjects. Sometimes she waits for a pause in the dialog and chimes in. She has several different inflections, several different syllables and multiple facial expressions and hand gestures.

It is so cool watching her grow up. She learns new things every day.

She got on all fours today and made an attempt at crawling. She was so proud of herself... I got out the camera and pointed it at her and she was beaming!


I went back to the doctor today. The stitches/staples are out and the cut looks ok. I asked a lot of follow up questions that I could not ask in the hospital. The surgeon had to take out the ovary. The 'baby' was large, he gestured with his hand as if it was as big as his fist. He said there was a lot of old blood and fresh blood.

Please, any women out there...if your periods are weird and something isn't right with your body...demand an ultrasound. Don't let your OB tell you everything is ok.

What a ham!

Elle knows what to do when she sees the camera...or my cell phone. She drops what she is doing and smiles a huge cheesy grin! So freekin cute. I ruined her already!

Teething and more teething

I am very lucky that my mom is here this week.

Elle is still STILL still teething. Nothing has cut yet. On her bottom gums I can see two white nubs under the surface. The right nub is actually pushing the gums up into a little bump. My poor girl is so cranky. She cannot understand why he mouth is trying to murder her!

I thought she was not hungry yesterday...she played a lot but did not nurse much. When it came time for solid food dinner she ate a ton...lots of sweet potatoes mashed with carrots and bananas.

Then I went to give her her customary dessert. She loves to nurse right after dinner. Again, she acted un interested. My mom said that maybe her teeth hurt too bad to suck. I did not even think of it. We gave her little tylenol and then I tried to feed her 10 minutes later. She ate like a champ!!!! The poor little girl's teeth hurt too much to suck.

I am so lucky that my mom is here to take care of everything, and even the unexpected things that are unrelated to the reason she had to come visit in the first place. I need to get her to come visit with out a crisis!!!

Letting myself ask for help

I think a lot of people can tell from my writing that Mr. Bishop and I are pretty tough. We don't ask for a lot of help and we are very happy to work hard to make things work. When I lost my job, we just figured it out. When our roof blew off the house, we just dealt with it.

I can't deal with this. I have been butterflied like a pork chop. Stuff me with bread crumbs and I would be on the menu at any fancy restaurant. I can't pick up my kid. At all. I have to be handed her so I can feed her. I can hold her hand while she gets a diaper change. I can watch while she gets dressed. I can hang out while she gets her bath. Try to do anything with a 5 month old without picking her up.

My aunts covered a couple days right after the surgery. My mom is here to help me this week. Then my dad and each of my brothers will take a week. My husband continues to go to work because...well, he is the only income we have right now. We needed help and my family has jumped in with both feet.

I have given up a lot of control for the good of my daughter. My pride doesn't change a poopy diaper so I better keep that pride in check.

She had sweet potatoes, carrots and bananas for dinner tonight. Her granny fed her. It was super cute. I think this will all be just fine. Elle will have some quality time with her family and I will recover.

Pea-nanas

I am no genetic engineer, but today Elle had Pea-nanas for dinner. We introduced bananas mixed with a good green. Sweet treats.

More peas please

Elle is eating peas! Since my return from the hospital we have added peas. She enjoys sweet potatoes, carrots, avocados and peas. Yum!

When I got back from the hospital I came home to a cling on baby like I never imagined. She nursed non stop for the first few days I was home. I think part of it was growth spurt and part of it was just good will nursing on my part. Bottles are good but boobas are better in Elle's world.

My supply was hurt by the surgery and hospital stay. I pumped constantly. If I was not sleeping, I was pumping. I had to dump most of it due to morphine (I had no choice) and unsanitary conditions. So I pumped and I dumped. I had a stock of frozen milk at the house that can last about 10 days of normal consumption. That has dwindled now. I don't think I can re build it and I think we are going to go to one formula feeding a night right before bed. Since I left, my good sleeper now gets up a couple times to eat. That is really hard on me right now. And really hard on whoever is taking care of me and her because I cant lift her. So to feed her, I need a lifter to place her in my lap and then change her diaper.

We are still doing one solid food feeding at dinner time. At her six month check up I will ask about introducing a morning feeding also.

She is a happy kid. The last week really threw off her schedule. I am trying not to show her any of my pain. I am trying to only be around her when I can keep a big smile and feel good.

My family is each taking a week off of work to come stay with me. That gives me 4 weeks of lifter coverage. My aunts covered the days until my mom could get here. The doctors are saying I need 6 weeks before I can pick her up. If I can make it to 4 without dieing of heart break, we will be in good shape.

An unfit mother for sure.

This week I lost one baby I wanted and can’t even pick up the one I have.

I had massive abdominal surgery to fix a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. The problem had gone on so long that I have a huge scar rivalling that of a Cesarian Section.

I am devistated. The last thing I want to do is write about this and have everyone in the world know how bad I feel. But nothing else is making me feel better.

I had abdominal pain and abnormal bleading for a few weeks. I also had some right side numbness. I went to my regular family doctor. She told me to see my OB and a neurologist. I went to my OB. My OB told me I was pregnant. I was shocked because of the bleeding. Mr. Bishop and I were very excited for another little winter baby. The OB called me and said my blood test HcG was weird and my progestrone was low. I went back for a blood test 4 days later and the numbers got weirder and a little lower.

She called me back with that information late on a Friday night and told me to go to a radiologist sometime in the next week. She said it was possible ectopic pregnancy but not to worry. By Monday it had ruptured and I left my baby girl at home with her dad as I left in an ambulance. Mr. Bishop had strict instructions not to come to the hospital or anything. He was not to let that baby girl leave his sight for one minute. His only job was to make sure she was so happy and healthy she would not have time to miss me.

In the ambulance we did not yet know what was wrong. My family doctor had ruled out liver problems. The pain was unbearable. It was worse than child birth. Worse than a nose job. Worse than having emergency gall bladder removal. Worse than falling off your bike. Worse than a hangover.

I was throwing up. I was writhing.

The ambulance crew were angels. From now on when I see them in town, I can actually see their angel wings. The only thing I brought to the hospital with me was my breast pump. I wanted to pump and dump to protect my supply.

I had an emergency ultrasound. It was bad.

I was scheduled for surgery.

I was told that the surgeon would do anything he could to save the fallopian tube. He was actually going to try three successively more serious surgeries...starting from least invasive...to try and correct the problem. He was very kind to me and spent a lot of time treating me like a human being. I told him all I wanted was to go home and hold my baby girl.

It turns out there was so much hemorrhaging inside my abdomen that the surgeons had to do the most invasive surgery. The scar is big and painful. They did a nice job making it a clean looking line. I don't look too much like Frankenstein.

My body still hurts. My body hurts so much I am only just starting to feel the pain of losing the little baby. The baby would have never been viable.

The doctors said that it is not my fault. I could have done nothing to prevent it. It is a freak accident of nature.

I can't write any more. Maybe later.

Cuddle time

This is bound to be a controversial post...

Elle is an early riser. She likes a farmer's breakfast around 5 am and she is shot out of a cannon by 6 most days. Five days a week, this is all good. On Saturdays and Sundays I offer her money, candy, toys, pet puppies, gold plated binkies...anything for just a half hour more sleep. Nothing works.

So I do the one thing that makes some moms cheer and some moms cringe. I bring her to bed with me to play. I can lay there and doze while she plays with a toy or two and rolls around. Sometimes she even takes the social cues and uses the time for a little nap. Big score for mommy.

She is cuddlier on the weekends. I think she knows these are special days. I think we all enjoy just five more minutes of rest on a Saturday.

Recalls

Again, a couple awesome readers pointed out the following to me:

Check your medicine cabinets:
Infant Tylenol, Children's Tylenol, Children's Motrin and Children's Zyrtech all involved...check your bottles for the "NDC" Number above the brand name.


Carters is doing a recall for some tagless tags. They are not calling it an official recall, but a friend of mine got a check in the mail for the clothing with the suspect tags.