Well, we went to the doctor today for Levi's six month appointment. I had noticed yesterday that Levi had a little bit of blood in his stool, it was especially noticeable because he pooped in his potty. I told the doctor about it and then he took one look at what I thought was a diaper rash and he said, "That's an allergic reaction. He's allergic to something." The problem would be trying to figure out what it was. I could slowly try to cut things out of my diet and figure it out that way or we could have a simple blood test done and be able to detect the problem a lot quicker... if that is even the problem. It could be his diaper, it could be some sort of strep on his bottom... blah!!!
So I opted for the blood test just to make things simpler. We had already waited almost an hour in the waiting room. I am not blaming anyone, because I know that doctors are busy and sometimes they get behind, but it stinks nonetheless. So we started out the appointment already completely worn out. Then we got the awesome news about his allergy, then we got our vaccinations (yes, I do vaccinate Levi, I was vaccinated and so was Ben and we are fine and I believe the autism being related is ridiculous and would rather that he didn't die from common childhood ailments)
Then we finally went to get blood drawn after having shots in both legs. It is a traumatic time and as a mom I just have to keep reminding myself that it is for his own good. Levi really is amazing though. He was past his nap time and we were in the laboratory and I had to lay him on the table while the lady swabbed his little bottom. Then she had to feel for a vein to take the blood from his chubby little baby arm. As she ran her finger up and down it he began to laugh. It was so sweet, his laugh is so pure and so beautiful, there is just nothing like it. He would laugh and then start to cry a little and then laugh. It was like he was on the verge of hysteria. ... let me just say that he was pushed over the verge as they poked him. It was like he knew what was coming too, I don't know if it was because I was leaning over him or what, but he knew.
Again, he is so amazing. Throughout the rest of the time at the doctors it was just little whimpers and when we got home he nursed and went right to bed. I am so blessed to have such a sweet little boy. As I think of his precious little face right now tears are coming to my eyes. I love him so much!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Okay, so it's been a while. I've been busy and distracted... and kind of lazy. But really, why make excuses?
Levi has been doing great with EC! I am totally amazed at times that he has chosen to hold his elimination (moreso poops than pees) for the toilet. We EC both into his little potty but then I also hold him over the big toilet. Mainly because I am lazy and I just want to be able to flush it instead of dump out his potty and then rinse it. See, I'm lazy :) I think the next step is when he is able to sit up on his own I will purchase a toilet insert so he can sit on the big toilet without me having to strattle it and hold him there.
I have decided he's going to start getting solids on a regular basis. Every morning and every afternoon/evening-ish I am going to start giving him a little bit of oatmeal. I have heard so many viewpoints about what to introduce first to Levi that I have decided to go with what my doctor recommends (especially since we are about to go to his 6 month appointment!) Cereal. It's easy and I think it will be safe. I gave him a few egg yolks but I wasn't sure about the iron content of them, and I keep reading all this stuff about iron, so I am giving him the baby iron-fortified cereal. Maybe this introduction to solids will help him sleep through the night a little better. We will see.
It's been sporadic as far as sleeping through the night goes. Last night we woke up at 11. I had been asleep for probably about an hour so I was so disoriented that all I could do was stumble in and nurse him, no clear thoughts, no nothing. Then he woke up again at 4, so I fed him again and he went back to sleep until about 7:30. I have decided that I am going to stop EC-ing him in the middle of the night. This might get him used to pooping in the middle of the night and I am tired of EC-ing at this time. It wakes me up too much. If it is just nursing I fall asleep a lot easier than if I'm up and have to think etc...
As far as his naps go, it's hard to keep him awake for more than 2 hours, unless there is a lot of stimulation. He gets so fussy after about an hour and a half that I just have to lay him down again. He sleeps for another hour to two hours and then we go through the same cycle. I've been reading this book called "The Sleep Lady's Good Night Sleep Tight" thanks to my friend Alicia and I think that I need to get him on a little more of a schedule. I so often throw out any kind of schedule that I go the other way and I think we are starting to need a little more consistency.
I am also trying to introduce or get him attached to a "Lovey" a little giraffe blanket stuffed-animal toy that he can take to bed with him. I put it in his free arm while we nurse and then lay him down with it for naps and bedtime. I have to sit and watch him though or else he will totally cover his face with it and then be frustrated because he can't breathe! Oh my, all the things to think about with a little one.
There's my update! Hope you enjoy!
Levi has been doing great with EC! I am totally amazed at times that he has chosen to hold his elimination (moreso poops than pees) for the toilet. We EC both into his little potty but then I also hold him over the big toilet. Mainly because I am lazy and I just want to be able to flush it instead of dump out his potty and then rinse it. See, I'm lazy :) I think the next step is when he is able to sit up on his own I will purchase a toilet insert so he can sit on the big toilet without me having to strattle it and hold him there.
I have decided he's going to start getting solids on a regular basis. Every morning and every afternoon/evening-ish I am going to start giving him a little bit of oatmeal. I have heard so many viewpoints about what to introduce first to Levi that I have decided to go with what my doctor recommends (especially since we are about to go to his 6 month appointment!) Cereal. It's easy and I think it will be safe. I gave him a few egg yolks but I wasn't sure about the iron content of them, and I keep reading all this stuff about iron, so I am giving him the baby iron-fortified cereal. Maybe this introduction to solids will help him sleep through the night a little better. We will see.
It's been sporadic as far as sleeping through the night goes. Last night we woke up at 11. I had been asleep for probably about an hour so I was so disoriented that all I could do was stumble in and nurse him, no clear thoughts, no nothing. Then he woke up again at 4, so I fed him again and he went back to sleep until about 7:30. I have decided that I am going to stop EC-ing him in the middle of the night. This might get him used to pooping in the middle of the night and I am tired of EC-ing at this time. It wakes me up too much. If it is just nursing I fall asleep a lot easier than if I'm up and have to think etc...
As far as his naps go, it's hard to keep him awake for more than 2 hours, unless there is a lot of stimulation. He gets so fussy after about an hour and a half that I just have to lay him down again. He sleeps for another hour to two hours and then we go through the same cycle. I've been reading this book called "The Sleep Lady's Good Night Sleep Tight" thanks to my friend Alicia and I think that I need to get him on a little more of a schedule. I so often throw out any kind of schedule that I go the other way and I think we are starting to need a little more consistency.
I am also trying to introduce or get him attached to a "Lovey" a little giraffe blanket stuffed-animal toy that he can take to bed with him. I put it in his free arm while we nurse and then lay him down with it for naps and bedtime. I have to sit and watch him though or else he will totally cover his face with it and then be frustrated because he can't breathe! Oh my, all the things to think about with a little one.
There's my update! Hope you enjoy!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Well, EC has been going really well these past few days. I have to watch out when I say that because I know that it's going to come back and haunt me as soon as I get comfortable. Levi will all of the sudden forget what the cue means and not know what a potty is for.
Did I already write about how much I love my BumGenius? They are adorable and very absorbent. Usually I can leave Levi in one the whole night, only having to change him around 4:30 or 5 during his second feeding. Today he didn't get up the second time until 6, so that was nice. I usually EC him about that time. He's been getting good about holding it until I put him over a potty or a sink. Then I cue him and he goes. I showed my mom and sister yesterday how to hold him over a big toilet, when mom saw he was peeing she was like, "Wow! He's doing it!" It was funny to see them get excited about it.
I was thinking about it yesterday and I really need to start having other moms over to my house to talk about being a mommy. I go to these La Leche meetings and I think, "wouldn't it be cool to just get together and talk about EC-ing and the Lord, and what it means to be a mommy day in and day out?" I am finding that being a stay at home mom is a fading trend. Working outside the home is completely normal, even with a small baby. Why is that? Why do I often feel so alone in this? Why do I feel so isolated at times? My saving grace has been facebook messaging, phone and email. These have been welcome outlets for my desire for a human connection. I have to watch out that TV shows do not become my social interaction. I have a tendency to just desire talking and noise, but I don't know if that is always healthy.
I have decided that today I am going to finish painting Levi's room. Or at least I'm going to work on finishing it. It's often a lot of work to paint on the walls. And then to find the time to do it can be difficult! I think I will try to get him to nap in another room today so I can just go in and attack the walls! I will post pictures later.
Thank you all for reading! Until next time...
Did I already write about how much I love my BumGenius? They are adorable and very absorbent. Usually I can leave Levi in one the whole night, only having to change him around 4:30 or 5 during his second feeding. Today he didn't get up the second time until 6, so that was nice. I usually EC him about that time. He's been getting good about holding it until I put him over a potty or a sink. Then I cue him and he goes. I showed my mom and sister yesterday how to hold him over a big toilet, when mom saw he was peeing she was like, "Wow! He's doing it!" It was funny to see them get excited about it.
I was thinking about it yesterday and I really need to start having other moms over to my house to talk about being a mommy. I go to these La Leche meetings and I think, "wouldn't it be cool to just get together and talk about EC-ing and the Lord, and what it means to be a mommy day in and day out?" I am finding that being a stay at home mom is a fading trend. Working outside the home is completely normal, even with a small baby. Why is that? Why do I often feel so alone in this? Why do I feel so isolated at times? My saving grace has been facebook messaging, phone and email. These have been welcome outlets for my desire for a human connection. I have to watch out that TV shows do not become my social interaction. I have a tendency to just desire talking and noise, but I don't know if that is always healthy.
I have decided that today I am going to finish painting Levi's room. Or at least I'm going to work on finishing it. It's often a lot of work to paint on the walls. And then to find the time to do it can be difficult! I think I will try to get him to nap in another room today so I can just go in and attack the walls! I will post pictures later.
Thank you all for reading! Until next time...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Practicing
Happy Mother's Day to all of you fine mamas out there! This really feels like the first Mother's Day to me that has special meaning. Last year I was pregnant at this time so Ben bought me some maternity clothes for my Mother's day present. He's so sweet! I haven't gotten anything from him this year, but I'm not a big presents or gifts person, so I think I'm really okay with it. :)
Okay, so I was just wanting to post about this thought that has been bouncing around in my head these past few days. Practicing. I am practicing EC. That is the correct terminology, not necessarily accomplishing EC or dominating EC :), but it's a practice. We go through set-backs, we have times when it is more often and times when we are not able to because of circumstances. Sometimes I get tired of taking is potty with us, so I just choose not to. But all of this is just a gentle practice. We are not expecting perfection from our children, just like we aren't expecting them to walk as soon as they come out of the womb. We are simply guiding them, doing what we feel is best and healthiest for them. Some days Levi is a perfect baby, then a few days will go by and I have no idea why he is crying so much.
Anyways, I have come to believe that EC-ing is just a daily process. We take it one step at a time. We don't allow the Enemy to call us failures. We love on our little ones and do what we feel is best for them.
It's important on those days when it is difficult to really remember why I decided to EC. So I will go ahead and list my reasons for you:
1. Cuts down on diaper rash, keeps Levi from having to sit in his own poop most of the time
2. Is a more natural transition to potty training
3. Is better for the environment than even cloth diapers, even the detergent we use can be harmful
4. I don't want to have to wash so many diapers
5. Cuts down on the amount of leaks, more in the toilet, less in the diaper
6. I want to learn and be in tune with my child for all of his basic needs. Not obsessively so, but just to keep those lines of communication open.
If you EC, do you have any more to add to this list? Would love to hear your comments.
Okay, so I was just wanting to post about this thought that has been bouncing around in my head these past few days. Practicing. I am practicing EC. That is the correct terminology, not necessarily accomplishing EC or dominating EC :), but it's a practice. We go through set-backs, we have times when it is more often and times when we are not able to because of circumstances. Sometimes I get tired of taking is potty with us, so I just choose not to. But all of this is just a gentle practice. We are not expecting perfection from our children, just like we aren't expecting them to walk as soon as they come out of the womb. We are simply guiding them, doing what we feel is best and healthiest for them. Some days Levi is a perfect baby, then a few days will go by and I have no idea why he is crying so much.
Anyways, I have come to believe that EC-ing is just a daily process. We take it one step at a time. We don't allow the Enemy to call us failures. We love on our little ones and do what we feel is best for them.
It's important on those days when it is difficult to really remember why I decided to EC. So I will go ahead and list my reasons for you:
1. Cuts down on diaper rash, keeps Levi from having to sit in his own poop most of the time
2. Is a more natural transition to potty training
3. Is better for the environment than even cloth diapers, even the detergent we use can be harmful
4. I don't want to have to wash so many diapers
5. Cuts down on the amount of leaks, more in the toilet, less in the diaper
6. I want to learn and be in tune with my child for all of his basic needs. Not obsessively so, but just to keep those lines of communication open.
If you EC, do you have any more to add to this list? Would love to hear your comments.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Yes! I found a few outfits and some pants he can wear. We are still doing pants even when it's warm... it's not really that hot out yet and they are just little cotton pants so I don't have to wrap him up when he goes to sleep.
Yesterday and today have been rough in our little baby world. I am not sure if Levi has allergies or if he's just teething or just plain upset about nothing. (I really doubt it's that last one, but sometimes it just feels that way.) His eyes have been watering really bad and he's been sneezing a lot. I am fearful that he got Ben's allergy genes which we were desperately hoping he would get away from. But do kids start to display allergies this early? I am going to call the Dr's office today and ask about it. Blah!! Or he could be teething some more and just be in a lot of pain. All he wants to do is nurse and chew like crazy. I have to post a video of him with a pacifier. He doesn't know how to use one so he just sort of grabbed it and started chewing on it any which way. It was awesome.
Anyways, the teething thing could be the case because he has been feeling particularly warm. I haven't taken his temperature or anything because I DO NOT want to put it... yeah, I will not say wear here on the internet, but moms, you know. ... So I have just been feeling his head and it feels a bit warm. No fun.
Oh yeah, I have now decided I am going to purchase some BumGenious 3.0 diapers! They worked great and held him all night two nights ago. It was amazing! They seemed to stay on better and not slide down as much, even though he didn't have a onesie on. It just felt a lot more secure than the FuzziBunz and was a lot softer than the Diaperaps. So now I know. I think Marcie had told me to get the BumGenious in the first place so I should have listened to her :) It will be well worth it. I am thinking about getting about 6 or 7 of them. ... or maybe more like 10. I am planning on washing them about every other day and somewhat in conjunction still with the FuzziBunz (I will get my money's worth out of them!!) So I don't know that I will need that many.
Does anyone have any recommendations on what sites to order them from? I need to go talk to my neighbor, she's big on cloth diapering (I just met her for the first time last week) and knew about all these websites and things. It's just hard sometimes to know when to come visit. Okay, yeah, so recommend all you want :)
Yesterday and today have been rough in our little baby world. I am not sure if Levi has allergies or if he's just teething or just plain upset about nothing. (I really doubt it's that last one, but sometimes it just feels that way.) His eyes have been watering really bad and he's been sneezing a lot. I am fearful that he got Ben's allergy genes which we were desperately hoping he would get away from. But do kids start to display allergies this early? I am going to call the Dr's office today and ask about it. Blah!! Or he could be teething some more and just be in a lot of pain. All he wants to do is nurse and chew like crazy. I have to post a video of him with a pacifier. He doesn't know how to use one so he just sort of grabbed it and started chewing on it any which way. It was awesome.
Anyways, the teething thing could be the case because he has been feeling particularly warm. I haven't taken his temperature or anything because I DO NOT want to put it... yeah, I will not say wear here on the internet, but moms, you know. ... So I have just been feeling his head and it feels a bit warm. No fun.
Oh yeah, I have now decided I am going to purchase some BumGenious 3.0 diapers! They worked great and held him all night two nights ago. It was amazing! They seemed to stay on better and not slide down as much, even though he didn't have a onesie on. It just felt a lot more secure than the FuzziBunz and was a lot softer than the Diaperaps. So now I know. I think Marcie had told me to get the BumGenious in the first place so I should have listened to her :) It will be well worth it. I am thinking about getting about 6 or 7 of them. ... or maybe more like 10. I am planning on washing them about every other day and somewhat in conjunction still with the FuzziBunz (I will get my money's worth out of them!!) So I don't know that I will need that many.
Does anyone have any recommendations on what sites to order them from? I need to go talk to my neighbor, she's big on cloth diapering (I just met her for the first time last week) and knew about all these websites and things. It's just hard sometimes to know when to come visit. Okay, yeah, so recommend all you want :)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
EC is back to normal. It was really funny yesterday because I was nursing Levi without a diaper, Ben was sitting there with me, reading a book. At the end of the nursing session Levi was getting all squirmy and I felt like he needed to go but he was holding it (for my sake :)) so I put him on his potty and cued him. He went immediately. Ben looked at me with raised eyebrows and a smile on his face. I felt like I was the most awesome mom alive! Haha!
This morning I was garage-sale-ing for some clothes for Levi. I am sick of snaps. I am dying a slow death of snapping baby clothes together. Who the heck came up with these stupid snaps? Whew, sorry about that rant, something just came over me. So I was looking for shirts and pants that are separate and have fewer snaps. Not the ones that snap under the crotch. I was rummaging through some boxes and this lady who I don't know felt that she should suggest some of the "cute outfits" that were there. So I explained, well, I'm potty training him, so I don't want the snappy things. "Oh, well, you're potty training? The bigger clothes are over there!" "No, thank you, he is five months." I'm sure you are picturing a reaction of shock on her face as I explained. Another mom overheard me and thought it sounded a little strange but she could see my reasons. Her son was almost three and she was struggling with it. "I just hope he's potty trained by the time he's ten." ... a gross exaggeration I'm sure, but still, it made me realize how fortunate I am to have already begun this process with Levi.
Lord, help me not to be prideful, but compassionate. I know that You will always humble me in this area that I really don't have any control over. I pray that I would parent him to the best of my abilities. Speak to my heart about his needs Lord.
This morning I was garage-sale-ing for some clothes for Levi. I am sick of snaps. I am dying a slow death of snapping baby clothes together. Who the heck came up with these stupid snaps? Whew, sorry about that rant, something just came over me. So I was looking for shirts and pants that are separate and have fewer snaps. Not the ones that snap under the crotch. I was rummaging through some boxes and this lady who I don't know felt that she should suggest some of the "cute outfits" that were there. So I explained, well, I'm potty training him, so I don't want the snappy things. "Oh, well, you're potty training? The bigger clothes are over there!" "No, thank you, he is five months." I'm sure you are picturing a reaction of shock on her face as I explained. Another mom overheard me and thought it sounded a little strange but she could see my reasons. Her son was almost three and she was struggling with it. "I just hope he's potty trained by the time he's ten." ... a gross exaggeration I'm sure, but still, it made me realize how fortunate I am to have already begun this process with Levi.
Lord, help me not to be prideful, but compassionate. I know that You will always humble me in this area that I really don't have any control over. I pray that I would parent him to the best of my abilities. Speak to my heart about his needs Lord.
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