{3} Months

And he grew and he grew and he grew...

 

 

THREE MONTHS ALREADY?!?!? Is this real life?!

 

 

As of my 2 month appointment mid-October ...

Weight: Oh, approximately 13 lbs 8 oz

Length: 25 inches

 

 

Trice changed SO much over this past month... I don't even know where to begin. It's like I blink and he does something new. Sometimes I just half blink and he learns a new trick. I'm not kidding when I say he breathes and I'm amazed. He has me giggling all day long.

 

 

 

 

 

I talk...

 

 

 

 

 

I roll...

 

 

 

 

 

I rock talk and roll...

 

 

 

 

 

 

I eat things everything...

 

 

 

Poor Mr. Crinkle Monkey. He misses the days of just being stared at...

Mmm... Foot...

Mmm.. Ear...

Mmm.. plastic!

Is this how you score a touchdown, daddy?!

A new toy, mom? Better eat it.

And even though mommy didn't catch me in the act, I blow lots of bubbles ... and I'm a droolin' machine.

Oh, and I jam ...

Daddy even taught me how to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb"

 

I celebrated my first Halloween - but you can read about that here: Trice's First Halloween. Mom dresses me up in silly little clothes all the time. It is rediculous. Sometimes she even makes me look like a big fluffly marshmallow (See picture below!)

But I have a time limit on how long I let her take to dress me and then I tell her what's up. I don't sleep at night, but I do sleep through church. Why would I sleep in that giant cage - like thing my parents now make me sleep in. I don't like daycare. The other babies make too much noise. And there's one little baby bully. I make bath time difficult - don't get me wrong, I love it - but I like to squirm, kick, grab, and go crazy. And my parents think I'm totally out-of-this-world awesome. See you in a month!



Two and Three Month {Faves}

Here are the items we have used most in our house the past couple months! Unfortunately, Nick is home with me today and he know has the nasty flu bug so when I asked for his picks he violently shook his head, "No" and told me he was going to puke. I'm sure that his picks would be similar to mine so I hope you don't feel robbed. :)

I'm too lazy to get pictures of the "actual" ones we have of these, but I think any similar item would do the trick.

1. Rattle - any rattle - or even just anything that makes noise. Trice is loving it! Just a few days after we brought him home, Benny panicked that he was the only baby without a rattle so he went and got him one. He was a little disappointed that Trice showed very little interest in it. I promised him that would soon change and it did! He eats it, he holds it in both his hands, he looks at it, he hits himself in the head with it on occasion. It's more fun than a barrel full of monkeys!

2. Crib Acquarium - Grandma Donna got this for us. Trice just stares at it in his crib! Who wouldn't love water and fishies?! Anything to make him want to be in his crib is a definite plus.

3. Cloth Books - Laura & Danny got Trice some cloth animal books (since they were concerned we wouldn't teach him about animals .. ha!) and Trice LOVES them. He gazes at them while we read them, bats at them, grabs them, shoves them in his mouth, and tries to eat the tag. They even have a loop on them so we can hang them from his playmat.

4. Crib Book Panel? - I'm not really sure what these are called, but they are awesome. Since I wasn't very good about putting Trice in his crib .. ever .. when I was home on leave (I'm pro "hold your baby as much as you possibly want because they're only little for a little while") so I wanted him to get familiar with his crib. I tied this on there when I would be putting his laundry away or sometimes I'd just stand there and interact with him.

5. Tummy-Time Mirror - I swear this enticed him to roll over. I would put it to one side of him, roll the ball, and he would try so hard to roll over until he finally got it. He loves staring at himself since he's so darn cute and he likes when he can see mommy or daddy, too! Now he's trying to bat at the toys on it more so that's fun!

..And because what really matters is what Trice loves, I asked him to pick his current favorite toy.

After a good old taste test, he picked the football. He's in love with this toy! He can stick his fingers in it and it doesn't fall out of his hands. Last night he was sticking his tongue through the holes and he thought that was pretty cool, too.

Mommy's Favorite Items

1. Video Monitor: Benny has wanted to move Trice to his crib since day 2 at home. Not that he didn't love Trice being close by, but his all night grunting and lion wrestling in his bassinet pack-n-play was apparently distrubring his sleep (I didn't know what sleep was so I ddin't feel disturbed...). To be honest, Trice slept in his crib all night for the first time last night. I've tried the last few nights and I just couldn't do it, but last night he was sound asleep so I let him be. I stared at this monitor .. oh, all night long .. and it made me feel a little better that I could see every move he made. Trice spotted the monitor in our room and we can only imagined he thought, "Mom...Dad...are you spying on me?" Benny also informed me that he spied on me lying Trice down to see if I had any special tricks.. what a dork!

2. Medela Quick-Clean Wipes: These have always been a favorite but are definitely a favorite now that I'm back at work pumping all day long. I don't have ideal conditions for pumping, so I use these to quickly clean pump parts before I can get to water and thoroughly clean them. Works wonders.These things work wonders and smell great!

3. Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo: I have no reason for liking this other than I just think it makes Trice smell good. And I like good-smelling babies.

4.Baby Emery Boards: After Trice nearly lost a thumb to the baby clippers, Benny will no longer go near his nails. These are much less scary for mommy to use!

5. Boogie Wipes: Don't they just sound adorable?! We used saline drops for awhile when Trice was getting really congested at night. Now that he's going to daycare and cold season is upon us, he's been getting the nasty crusty nose.

6. Hands-Free Pumping Bra: This has been the most awesome thing. Multi-tasking is my middle name and especially now that I have limited time to get anything done at home and I'm super behind at work. When you are pumping, you'll do anything to make it more convenient and quick. I didn't post a picture of one of these because that just seemed .. well, ackward .. but just make sure you get one that is compatible with your pump (I assume they are pretty generic, but I could be wrong!) Also, don't forget that you might just need one larger than you would anticipate ... breastfeeding turns you into Pamela Anderson. :) You can see my post on pumping here: Pump Bag

I've started Trice's Christmas wish list. Any toys/gadgets/etc. you highly recommend for the coming months? We've got a few in mind, but I'd love to hear what other mommy's love!!

What's In the {Bag}?

I have learned so much more about nursing in the past 3 months. So much more than any textbook could have ever taught me. I can't believe I was even allowed to educate people about it before I experienced it because I feel like I probably failed them miserably. I am by no means an expert on breastfeeding, but I DO have some awesome friends, family, and nurses who have helped me out and taught me a lot as well as just learning as I go. I hope I can be a better support for moms who choose to go this route now that I at least know a little bit about what I'm doing!

I thought I would start with what is in my pump bag. Now that I'm back at work, I primarily pump and I have a limited amount of time so it's important that I have everything ready to go. I'm not saying this will work for everyone, but this is what works for me! 

Most of these products available at Medela

**Disclaimer: I am in no way telling you to go out and purchase a Medela pump or Medela accessories. There are a million pumps on the market and I did not do enough research to recommend one or not recommend another. I'm simply showing/describing these products because they are what I use. Most brands will have similar products. I even use some products from other brands just because!**

My pump is the Medela Pump In Style Advanced. It is expensive and I actually had a different one picked out (due to price), but then I found out my insurance would cover a pump so I was able to get this one. I think they probably all get the job done just fine!

It comes in this super attractive dorky bag which has lots of nice pockets and storage area for everything I need when I go to work.

Obviously, I take all the necessary pump parts. Most are shown in the picture with the bag. I have spare pump parts (which I HIGHLY recommend).

Starting Top Left --

Milk Storage Bags - I went a little crazy buying breastfeeding products because Babies R Us was having a big sale and I knew it was my last chance to stock up before baby came and I was just a little out of control. I bought different types of storage, but ultimately this is what I have been using. **The amount that it shows you have pumped on the bags does not equal the same amount when you put it in a bottle - disappointing...**

Hands-Free Bra - Best.Purchase.Ever. I HATED holding the parts while I pumped and now I can accomplish two things at once. Multi-tasking is my middle name and especially now that I have limited time to get anything done at home and I'm super behind at work. When you are pumping, you'll do anything to make it more convenient and quick. Just make sure you get one that is compatible with your pump (I assume they are pretty generic, but I could be wrong!) Also, don't forget that you might just need one larger than you would anticipate ... breastfeeding turns you into Pamela Anderson. :)

Quick Steam Bags - These sanitize pump parts. The truth is, I don't need them. We have a sanitizer, but these are just so quick and easy. Also, I would suggest NOT buying any .. with every medela product you buy, you get at least one or two of these bags and you can use them up to 20 times. 

Battery Pack - The area I use to pump at work does not have a plug-in, so I use the battery pack. This is also nice when travelling. Remember to always have extra batteries on hand. The battery pack was included with my pump.

 Cooler Bag and Bottle Ice Pack - Every morning, I fill this with Trice's ready-to-go bottles for daycare. Then it goes to work with me and I stick the bottles or bags in it and keep them in the fridge at work. I usually take two empty bottles to pump into and then I use bags. It's nice to have bottles compatible with your pump so you can just hook them right up to it. This was also included with my pump.

Breast Pads - I keep some extras in my bag just in case! You never know when you might need them...

Lanolin Cream - I used the tube the hospital provided. I only needed it for like the first week after Trice was born, but now that I am pumping more than nursing I have been using it every now and then.

Quick Clean Wipes - My pumping area is no where close to a sink, and half the time the sink is being used by the cooks so I use these right away and then wash the parts when I can. 

Washcloth - I always have a little hand towel or washcloth packed.

Sharpie - So I can label the storage bags with the date and Trice's name (I don't want other babies stealing my milk...) They do make labeling lids for the bottles, but I didn't want to spend even more money so I just use a dry erase marker on the lid. It's worked for me so far!

I'm always looking for ways to make this process easier so if any of you nursing mommy's out there have other items that you love, let me know!

Happy Pumping!

Trice's {FiRsT} Halloween

It was spooooktacular!

It all began when he picked out a pumpkin from Grandpa's pumpkin patch.

So we thought we should take some pictures...

And then a few days later, we thought we should take some more pictures...

Me: "I kind of wanted us to have more Fall-like clothing on!"
Benny (disgusted): "What screams Fall more than Iowa State clothes?"
I should have known better...

Then, after putting it off ALL weekend and doing everything we could to put it off longer...

Trice said, "Seriously, people. It's my first Halloween. Carve my darn pumpkin already."

 

So we did...

Trice was actually slightly amused by the ooey gooey-ness of it all!
Benny was clearly more interested in the football game...

Disclaimer - For the baby safety police out there, I am aware Bumbos have been recalled. I also heart bumbos and practice caution when using ours. The whole two times he has been in it someone was right there. I do, however, appreciate your concern for my little man. And if you want to talk baby safety - chat with Benny. He's a baby safety expert (Don't tell him how you put your baby's car seat in the little seat part of a grocery cart..really, don't!) :)

 

If you think he looks sad, you should have seen his mommy.
I felt so bad I cried, smothered him in kisses and gave him a long,
warm bath after. Sorry little pumpkin - mommy will NEVER get a silly
idea again. Blog Readers - do NOT, I repeat, do NOT try this at home.

Despite my lack of excitement for Halloween, I thought Trice should wear all his adorable Halloween outfits to daycare. I'd also like to add that all these outfits cost me a total of about $5 (diaper not included) so that's pretty neat, eh?

Not only did we dress up during the day, we slept Halloween style, too...

1. Glow-in-the dark skeletons provide comic relief at 3 am
2. It's really hard to capture words on a babies shirt because 99% of the time
they cover them up with their flying hands!

3. They were actually really sitting like that. Not posed. Such dorks.

 And then the part of Halloween I do really enjoy .. trick-or-treating!!

For not even trying, I'd say we color coordinated quite well.
Trust me, it's hard being this cute...

G-Pa came to hand out candy, too!
He dressed like a Hy-Vee employee - smile and all!

A pumpkin on a pumpkin .. how silly, mommy!

Best Costume gets the Baby!
And apparently Trice did my hair this morning...

Guarding the candy bowl!

Look, mom, a leaf!

Trice realized daddy forgot their after work snuggles, so he wouldn't take his eye off Benny. Once he finally got him, he told him a good 20 minutes story without pausing to breathe and with his thumb in his mouth the whole time. Yep, I teared up...

And how adorable is this?!

 10 Weeks Apart - Kinsey & Trice Pumpkins

We had 65 trick-or-treaters down from exactly 100 last year. It was definitely much slower. My favorite costume was a little peanut. And I'm not complaining about the amount of candy left.

Overall, it was a pretty decent Halloween. I'm not a big fan, but I'll try to up my excitement for the little man. I leave you with this question - Do you put all the good candy at the bottom of the bowl so nobody takes it?! Guilty.