Learning

We just got in from California early Sunday morning. I loved visiting with my family and friends, but noticed it took a toll on Matthew. My baby who was scheduled here at home no longer had a schedule. So, we made the best of the situation and I actually learned a few things.

1. His morning nap that usually lasts for only an hour? Ya, he's still tired and will go back to sleep with some snuggling.
2. He's ready to be awake more, but still gets tired super easily so once he starts fussing, yawning, and rubbing his eyes...put the baby down!
3. He has the capacity to go 7 hours overnight between feedings (but only slept 5 of those hours). Not sure why he won't sleep more then.
4. No matter what, the kid loves his baths.
5. When traveling, make sure to throw in a couple of days where he has some down time and don't leave the house.
6. He'll sleep on a red-eye flight, but I will barely get any.
7. Baby wearing on a plane is the best idea ever. He sleeps and I have my hands free!
8. My mom is an awesome grandma. I miss her so much already.
9. Don't argue with your husband when you're 3,000 miles apart. No good can come from it.
10. Meeting up with friends who have kids is awesome. I wish we were closer.

Chiropractic Care for Infants

When I posted this picture a couple of days ago on my facebook account, I had no idea what controversy it would cause. I captioned it with...

Matthew gets regular adjustments from Dr. D!

Yes, that is my wonderful chiropractor adjusting my three month old son.

From there on out, it seemed like a war took place (by just a few people) in my comments. These comments ranged from telling me that it's dangerous to linking something about how an infant died from cranial-sacral therapy (which my son has also had done) to how if he had issues, then a pediatrician would send him to a physical therapist to really fix the problem and chiropractors can't do that. Of course, this is the condensed version in a nut-shell, but you get the point.

I would like to put it out there that the reason I get my son adjusted is for his overall well-being. Chiropractic care has helped me in SO many ways even when regular doctors couldn't. My husband has even seen how much good it has done for our family and is on board 100%. 

My chiropractor is certified in pediatric care and my pediatrician agrees with us taking him in and has encouraged us to do so! Babies are not adjusted the same way as adults. In fact, she uses light pressure to adjust him and as you can see in the picture, he has really become comfortable with it and loves seeing his Dr. D.

For us, chiropractic care is worth it and not something that's "weird." I still see regular doctors and take Matthew for his check ups and call the pediatrician when needed, but when I was pregnant, we made a decision to take him to get adjusted regularly and he has since birth. It is so much more than people who aren't used to it think, but it's so hurtful to be under attack just because they don't understand and haven't experienced it for themselves.

If anyone knows me, they would know that I do my research and would never choose to do something that would be dangerous for my family. I know the benefits that my family has seen from chiropractic care and even though there are nay-sayers out there who disagree, we will continue to take him along with me to get his adjustments.

Refreshed

This last weekend was so great for me and our little family. We had a much needed weekend away, in a sense, and came back feeling refreshed and rejuvinated.

It was nothing special, in fact, it was set up so I could work. I agreed to make custom curtains for my brother and sister-in-law's new house. I started them when I was eight and a half months pregnant and was put on bed rest before they could be completed. Yes, they've been waiting on these things forever, but have been super supportive. So, when they offered to have us come down and bring the baby so I could get some work done and have plenty of people around to help with Matthew, it was a no-brainer. 

We got there Friday afternoon and I got in a good three hours before dinner. If you've ever made lined curtains with back tabs, you know how much work goes into them...a lot. Saturday, I started around 9am and worked until about 6pm only taking minimal breaks for lunch and to snuggle with my little guy. It was a long day, but I got a lot done. At this point the living room curtains were done, but the dining room curtains still had quite a lot of work left. I was exhausted and went to bed after we put Matthew down for the night. Sunday, I got to work right after breakfast and did another six-ish hours and got them done! I still have to hem the sheers for the windows, but that was meant for another time anyways.

Even though I was working like crazy (and believe me, it was work!), it was so nice to be able to focus and get the job done knowing that Matthew was well taken care of. We had a great time away from all of the chores and distractions at home and looked forward to going back.

Today, it's back to the grind with laundry and errands, but I am so grateful for this past weekend.

Looking Up!

I'm happy to report that things are getting much better as of late.

• Gerber Good Start Soothe is working wonders for him. He's only fussy at the end of the feeding and isn't screaming constantly when he eats anymore!
• The doctor took him off of prevacid and so far, he's been doing pretty well. He still has a hard time at feedings, but it's much more manageable.
• We're getting into a new routine so naps and feeding times are starting to get established.
• With the new schedule, I have a lot of random "down time" so I'm able to get more done and have time to rest.
• Matthew has only woken up once in the middle of the night to eat the past two nights! I'm hoping this is his new normal until he can sleep through the night.
• We've started up house hunting again and found something we like. We're trying to go USDA which means no down payment and a lower interest rate, but there's less eligible in the areas that we're considering. 
• My husband got a promotion at work and I couldn't be more proud of him. He works really hard and has such a long day so I'm happy that his hard work is recognized.
• I can't wait for our California trip next weekend! My mom and sisters are excited to meet Matthew and I'm happy to see them again. Twice in one year? That's unheard of!

Happy Halloween

We're not planning on doing much today, but I'm trying to convince my husband to let us trick or treat to a couple of houses for the candy. Hey, I have a baby who loves the stroller and a reindeer snow suit that will be too small on him come winter time. It could work out. Plus, people love babies!

Here's my little pumpkin today...

And here's he is in his reindeer snow suit...

Ya, we might need to go out for a "walk" tonight!

That Mom

I'm that mom who...

• Has a baby with reflux. Yes, this means he might vomit while we're out and we might have to change his clothes on the restaurant table. You might see us giving him his medicine so that he's more comfortable and you might see him being super fussy and crying because he hurts.
• Will do everything I can do get my baby to not "bother" others in public. Sure, he's upset, but I'll try to make it so that he doesn't scream forever without trying to do anything about it. One thing though, he's a baby and sometimes babies cry and there's nothing you can do about it.
• Likes routines and schedules. Yes, this means scheduling my ten week old, but it's more of a flexible schedule where we can make changes as necessary. My son loves routine and so does his momma.
• Puts on a clean onesie after bath time at the end of the night and doesn't always change his outfit the next morning. Gasp! I know, right?! He's clean and happy and if we're just hanging around the house, it works out perfectly.
• Baby wears at church. It works for us and since the pediatrician said not to put him in the nursery until three months, we're holding off.
• Picks and chooses which vaccines are best for my child. Of course, I do this with my pediatrician's recommendations, but with my history of skin reactions, we're lucky we've chosen to vaccinate at all! It's something I struggled with, but after talking to his doctor, feel like we're making the best decision for him.
• Let's my baby cry it out. After one time of going to put in his paci every couple of minutes for a while, I knew something had to give. I let him fuss/cry for no longer than five minutes at a time (as long as all of his needs are met) and you know what? He falls asleep! Now, he doesn't even need us to go in most of the time and I'm so proud of him.
• Binge eats because my baby cries so much. It's getting better now that his tummy is doing better, but it's something that I seriously need to work on.
• Doesn't think I need to apologize for my parenting style. My husband and I agree with everything 100%  and we do what works for us. Of course, it's constantly changing, but we're doing our best and that's all that matters.

What kind of mom are you?

The Past Two Weeks

It's been a rough seven weeks around here. 

Here's a recap of the past two weeks...

• The hernia surgery was successful and they found another small hernia on the opposite side so they decided to take care of it so we wouldn't have to come back again. 
• Matthew was kept overnight at the hospital following the surgery and it was rough. Once the anesthesia wore off, he screamed all night unless he was on his momma. Sweet? Yes, but very exhausting.
• The pain medication they gave him in the hospital made him constipated. Prune juice hurts his tummy and Karo only worked if we put it in every.single.bottle. That's a lot of corn syrup over time, so we're happy that's fixed. 
• Oh, and he temporarily lost the ability to poop on his own. Fun times. He just got it back yesterday and I couldn't be happier to not have to help him out.
• His reflux got worse again in addition to having some major tummy troubles so we were sent to a GI Specialist.
• We were told to try Elecare, a $45 per can (that's tiny), hypoallergenic formula. And...he threw it all up within the first two ounces. Clearly, he has issues with hypoallergenic formulas as this is the second one he's had a reaction to.
• The GI Specialist was wonderful and has us taking Matthew off of the soy formula and putting him on Gerber Good Start Soothe. They were able to give us free samples to try and it just so happens to be on sale at Target this week! She said he doesn't have a milk allergy and the whey protein is easier to digest, plus it has a probiotic in it to help with his tummy troubles. It will take 5-7 days for it to take full effect and have the soy be completely out of his system.
• The Gerber formula is the 7th formula we've tried. I am desperately praying it works for him.