Easter 2014

Yesterday we celebrated our little man's first Easter. It was fun and exciting to read him the Easter story from his baby Bible the couple of days leading up to it and to explain to him what Easter is. I know he doesn't understand it yet, but I think it's important that we are consistent with sharing these things with him over the years.

We started the day off by taking Easter pictures. I had tried to get some earlier in the month, but we didn't have the right lighting. This one is my favorite.

 

He did a great job posing for the camera and giving us lots of awesome faces along the way. After his Easter pictures, we gave him his Easter basket and took some more.

He loved his Easter basket and all of the goodies that were inside of it. We had fun just sitting there watching him play with the eggs and all of his new stuff.

After our morning of fun, we went to church and he did such a good job in the nursery! Lately, it's been very touch and go and I would get called back every week, but not yesterday! This is the second time at this church he's done this so I think we might be trying it out again to see how he does a third time.

This year we decided to host Easter dinner at our house. In my husband's family, they don't do anything for Easter except for go to church and carry on with the rest of their day as usual. I find that odd so we had them over. It was stressful preparing for it, but was great once everyone was here and I had a little bit of wine!

We tried to finish off our evening with a walk around the neighborhood, but Matthew was not having it. He was super tired, but didn't want to nap so we decided that since bedtime would be approaching soon, we should go back home, give him a bath, and start his bedtime routine.

How did everyone else spend their Easter Sunday?

Up-Swing?!

Can I just brag on my kid for a few minutes? I mean, seriously, he has been such an amazing little boy for THREE days straight! Sure, he has moments of fussiness, but he has been able to play by himself and with us happily for long periods of time. It really feels like we might be having a breakthrough here!

Yesterday I even took him to the doctor to get his ears and teeth checked out. He was crying and fussing while eating a bottle and barely drank any formula yesterday. It was sad and all I could do was just try to give him more solids to help make his belly full. He was such a trooper though and was so good at the doctor's office.

We had to wait twenty minutes to be called back and he either sat on my lap or the chair next to me and smiled at other people and played. No fussing, no crying. It was monumental!

 

Then we had to wait another twenty minutes in the exam room for the doctor and he sat, played with the paper on the table, and entertained himself! I couldn't believe how awesome he was being. The best part was that he seriously had only napped 20 minutes a couple of hours before that so I knew he was tired. He just behaved so well.

 

It's been a rollercoaster with our little guy for his entire life so I'm really praying we're on the up-swing. He really is such a great kid and sweet boy and I want him to be happy and feel well. It's been a rough eight months, but our little man is having some really good days lately and I love it.

Why We Hired a Sitter

We've been looking for an occasional sitter for a few weeks now. Our teen sitter decided that she is more comfortable with 2-3 year olds and I completely understand. Babies are hard work. There's always something that needs to be done and they demand a lot of attention.

Growing up, I thought that stay-at-home moms had it easy. It seemed like they got to stay at home and play with their kids all day. After all, they love their kids so it seemed like a dream job. Then I nannied and realized how hard it is to not only watch after kids all day, but then to have other responsibilities on top of that: laundry, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping...you name it! Still I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom.

I haven't kept it a secret that my little guy can be a little fussy. He's doing better, but with moving in our house 6 weeks ago and trying to take care of a little guy who demands a lot of attention, there hasn't been much extra time or energy to get all of the boxes in the basement unpacked. It's a bit overwhelming and on top of that, we have family coming to stay with us next month right after we're gone for a week! So, there's a lot to get done.

My in-laws have been super helpful with a number of things, but my mother-in-law would rather unpack us then watch the baby and that's where I really need the help. I'd love to be able to go through our things and make decisions about it without having another set of eyes.

The solution? Hiring someone.

We have hired an organizer to help with some things and she's wonderful. In addition, we just interviewed for an occasional sitter to help with our little guy. No guarantee of hours and the pay is very modest, but we found two people who we feel comfortable watching our little guy while I'm here unpacking. Plus, I'm looking to get back to sewing more and if I can get that up and running, then we may be able to have someone come more often as well.

I am also thrilled that I was able to talk to my mother-in-law and she agreed to take him once a week in the summer over to her house so I can get some sewing and things done uninterrupted! Hallelujah! Of course, the days and times will change weekly, but at least it's something and will help to cut the cost of needing a sitter more often.

We're so happy that we finally decided to go this route and can't wait to get Matthew acclimated with people other than Grandma, Mom, and Dad. Separation anxiety is real and any new person (including babies looking at him the "wrong way") makes him really upset.

Zippadee-Zip Review and Giveaway!

I've mentioned it quite a few times, but Matthew is a baby who loved to be swaddled. In fact, for the past 7 months, he needed to be swaddled in order to sleep. With him turning 7 months old there was one major problem...the swaddles were getting too small and he was busting out of them. I searched and searched on the internet for something that would help him to sleep unswaddled and there it was, the Zipadee-Zip (aka Zippy). I promptly ordered two and waited for it to come in the mail.

The Zipadee-Zip comes in three different materials (stretch cotton, stretch flannel, or fleece) and comes in so many cute prints. The Zippy is a safe swaddle transitioning product because it's safe for babies who roll from their back to their belly! It allows for babies to be able to move their arms, but their hands are encased in the Zippy which helps them feel secure and safe. It's also perfect for travelling and can be used safely in a car seat, stroller, or for baby wearing!

The makers of the Zipadee-Zip encourage their customers to try it when their baby is showing signs of readiness and to not give up if it doesn't work right away. For some people, it works great the first time, but for others (like us) it takes a while to get there.

We tried Matthew in the Zippy for naptimes first and realized he still wasn't ready for the freedom, but we kept trying and over the course of three weeks, he was getting upset being swaddled and wanted his arms free and we knew it was time to try again. Lo and behold, he slept unswaddled! Our baby who needed to be swaddled to even fall asleep was able to self-soothe by sucking on the ends of his Zippy and was out in a matter of minutes!

Over the course of two days with Matthew napping exclusively in the Zippy, he was able to sleep in it overnight! Instead of naptime and bedtime being filled with him screaming because we were trying to get him in his swaddle, he would calmly let us put him in his Zippy and would fall asleep with no crying. Another thing I love? It's super fast to put on and I don't have to wrangle him in!

We've using the Zippy now for 3 weeks and just ordered 2 more to have. He loves his Zippy and doesn't sleep well without it and I love that he now wakes up a lot happier!

 

Since I loved the product so much, I contacted Stephanie and she has graciously made it so that one of you will get to win a Zippy of your choice! You can also purchase one and use the coupon code SLEEP and get $2 off!

 

 

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So What Wednesday

SO WHAT if everything seems to be changing for our family. It's life and that's what happens, things constantly change!

If you know me, you know that I am constantly evaluating, learning, and trying to change things up so that they are more efficient, cost-effective, easier, or makes more sense. This week's big change was put into effect this morning. We're back to using cloth diapers!

I feel so spoiled using disposables for the past 6 months, but to be honest, we got a ton from Phil's dad and it was so much easier while we were living there to use disposables. My in-laws weren't too keen on changing a cloth diaper, although my mother-in-law will, it's just so much easier since they don't have to relearn anything...yet! I'm sure that will change today when we see her!

Admittedly, using cloth diapers was something I once loved, but now makes me nervous. We have a front-loading HE washing machine and I know that can present challenges with washing diapers, but that it can be done! My husband really wanted the front-loaders and so did I for all of the money saving (plus they look pretty cool!). I'm also a little nervous about this changing our schedule and being out. Disposables are easier while out and I'm sure I'll keep them in the bag for the church workers at least.

One thing is for sure that I love how colorful and fun cloth diapers look! They may make his bum a little bigger in pants (ok, a lot bigger), but they are more cost-effective and so cute!