All good things must come to an end

I was thinking about that quote yesterday ... and why, really, must all good things come to an end? So you can appreciate the next good thing? I'm pretty happy with what I've got going on right now, alas, can't hold on any longer. Today is my last solo day home with Georgia for, oh, the rest of my life. I love this quiet baby time. She is such a sweet, good baby and SO easy now. (Well, now that she is sleeping). I know that this, too, will end and she will become more energetic and opinionated and fun - and I look forward to that for sure - but this sweet sleepy baby stage is just awesome. (Not the newborn stage, just to make the distinction).

Georgia's school bag is packed and all of the "camp list" of items has been shipped off to a box under her crib at school. They can't swaddle babies any longer, so I'm also sending her teachers good wishes because it's going to be rough. Little G hasn't napped or slept un-swaddled in probably 2 months. If you look at the bright side, it appears we are farming out the "break the swaddle" training, which is nice. If you look on the dark side, though, I am pretty certain I will be picking up an exhausted baby from daycare all next week who won't eat and will be sleeping like a crazy person at home. In fact, send some good wishes our way, too, if you don't mind.

I'm remembering how un-fun it is to pump at work all day, but I've got all my supplies prepped and ready. I'm currently trying to formulate the best way for me to wake / shower / feed / do hair / do make-up / get dressed / pump / grab coffee / grab breakfast / kiss my loved ones goodbye every morning. I'm tempted to use a stop watch to see just how long each task takes, but I will try to resist. I did order the Rumina Hands-Free Pump&Nurse tank and so far really like it. It's an investment, for sure, but they do have a sale right now and free shipping through the end of the month. I ordered the full-coverage version so I could wear it solo under a cardigan or something and I think it covers enough to be work appropriate. I used their measuring guidelines and the size on the corresponding chart was just right. It is kind of cumbersome to get your pump parts to fit in the tank, or at least takes a little practice, but I did it one morning while brushing my teeth and putting on make-up and it worked perfectly. Huge time saver for me. Will be ordering two more ...

Sweet G also has a cold this week, shared by her loving sister, so I'm hopeful she won't get hit AGAIN when she starts school next week. Yeah, right. She is incredibly snorty and stuffy, but no fever and otherwise happy. I forgot that I had purchased the Nosefrida Snotsucker in a fit of nesting several months ago. Pulled it out today and it is AWESOME. So much more effective than the bulb syringe.

And, finally, came across this article last night while perusing my phone and pumping ... That Baby Wants to Break You Up. I can't say that I ever felt things were this extreme in our household, but the newborn stage is no joke and this summed up some of my feelings. Sleep deprivation is terrible and I can now look back and see that I've been pretty freaking tired for the last 4-5 months, with a several week period of serious lack of sleep thrown in the middle just for kicks. It is hard and makes me a difficult person to be around. Our mornings and evenings are finally pretty pleasant again and I seem to be hitting my stride during my days home with both girls. I'm much more patient and Ellen seems more calm. I will say that the silver lining of having a non-napping older child is that I can dictate when her "quiet time" begins - i.e. it starts the minute I put Georgia down for her nap. Now that Georgia's schedule is pretty predictable I have finally figured this out and it gets me (most of) an hour to myself each afternoon. Essential.

S.O.S

Seriously. In. Need. Of. Help.

Do any of you have kids who get car sick?

There will be more to come on our First Car Trip Ever, but let me give you a preview and say that Girly apparently gets car sick. Like mother, like daughter. Damn - I hate genetics.

We have been very lucky in the sickness department ... our girl has had her fair share of snotty noses, but we have managed to avoid the GI nastiness. She did have a weird vomiting illness about a month ago - threw up once each day for about 4 days out of 7 with no rhyme or reason - but that was the end of it.

On our way out of town last week, we picked her up at school, popped her in the car, and she promptly threw up all over the place about 15 minutes later. This didn't seem to be car sickness - we have driven farther lots of time without incident - but the dry heaving in Des Moines while watching the DVD player sure cleared things up.

Fast forward to today. I picked her up at daycare and took our normal 10 minute route home. At minute 9 we had vomit all over the backseat. Seriously???

She is still rear-facing in her car seat and I would like to leave her that way, if possible, since she has a ways to go before she meets the size restrictions. I agree that being rear-facing might make the motion sickness worse, but why would it start all of a sudden? She has been this way for 19 months.

She had a rash today when I got her out of the car to clean her up, so maybe she does have a bug, but she was sure acting fine.

I guess my question is this ... how do you know if it is car sickness or a bug? And, what do you do about it? The thought of cleaning puke out of a car seat several times a week is just maddening.

Signed,

Icked Out in the Midwest

Pride

On this Mother's Day, I'm proud of the job I've done so far (17 months and counting).

I'm proud of the little girl that lives in our house and follows me around and occasionally drives me crazy.

I'm also proud of how I handled a bad parenting moment yesterday.

We were driving home from the store, as a family, when I heard Girly choking in the backseat. She is still rear-facing in her car seat, but we have a mirror and I turned around and could see that she had shoved her barrette down her throat. I was in the passenger seat, so I yelled at Huz, he stopped the car in the middle of the road and I started to crawl backwards over my seat to get her out. Fortunately, she threw it up as I was loosening the restraint to get her out.

She was fine.

We were all scared.

I felt terrible that it even happened in the first place.

Girly was born with more hair than a lot of 1-year-olds, so she has had barrettes or rubber bands in her hair for months and months now. I know they are choking hazards, so I've always watched her very carefully. I always take them out of her hair at nap time. As she has gotten older, she pulls barrettes out, but has never put them in her mouth. The one she almost swallowed was big and had a bow on it ... if I had thought to be worried, I would have only worried about a smaller barrette.

Instead of beating myself up (which I am prone to do), I'll just have to realize that it was an accident. It could have happened to anyone (and, now, hopefully won't happen to you).

In retrospect, though, I am proud of how I responded. My mom-instinct and mom-reflexes kicked in and I think I just knew what to do. I scrambled over the back of my seat faster than you can imagine. I knew I could get her out of her car seat and do the Heimlich if I had to. (Thank god I didn't have to).

I really hope I never find myself in a similar situation again, but if I do, I feel better that I probably won't be paralyzed with fear.

And that, my friends, is the best gift I could hope for.

For your medical memory bank

Just two small pieces of medical advice we picked up last week. File them away ...

I got a call from Girly's teacher on Wednesday saying that she was not as active as usual, pulled on her ears all day, skipped lunch and took an extra-long nap. That, combined with the fact that she (finally!) slept late the same morning, all added up to SICKNESS.

She was acting pretty normal when I picked her up, but I knew if I didn't take her to the pediatrician's office it would for sure turn in to something bad.

She laughed and climbed all over the room. I felt dumb for bringing her. We had the obligatory ear check and she had something akin to the opposite of an ear infection. This is very un-technical and probably not medically accurate, but basically her ear drums were sucked in instead of bulging out with fluid. She had a little head congestion and that, combined with TONS of teething, just caused pressure in her ears.

Like being on a plane with ears that won't pop!

Poor girl.

The remedy was just (more) Motrin and lots of fluids so the sucking motion would help relieve the pressure. We also use frozen wet washcloths for chewing. (I'm sure you all know about the Motrin/Tylenol/Benadryl/Zyrtec recall by now. Right? If not, see McNeil Product Recall. Buy generic, I guess?)

So - ear pulling, but no fever may very well be built up pressure. I didn't know about encouraging drinking, so that was a helpful tip.

Also, while we were at the pediatrician's office and had already paid our co-pay, I took the opportunity to get a prescription for a nebulizer compressor. We had one round of breathing treatments back in January and borrowed the machine from the office. I was happy we didn't have to buy one, but then we needed one again in March and I was lucky enough to borrow one from a friend. This wouldn't be quite as convenient in the middle of the night.

My vast amount of experience with children needing breathing treatments (n=1; can you sense the sarcasm?) tells me this:
1. If you need to do the treatments once, you will probably need to do them twice.
2. If you are prescribed Xopenex (the expensive steroids), ask them to write the prescription for the maximum number of boxes. You will likely pay the same co-pay regardless and might as well get your money's worth.
3. The meds last about a year. Which is convenient because you will probably need them again. (See #1)
4. Ask about buying a nebulizer compressor the first time you need one. Mine was surprisingly inexpensive - $75 out of pocket at most, and my insurance may pay some/all. Well worth it, in my opinion, to save a midnight trip to the ER or urgent care.

Again, can't state it enough ... I feel quite lucky to take my daughter to the doctor's office with worry, only to find that she climbs all over the place and plays with tongue depressors.

We are luckier than many and I'm thankful each day.

Sunshine and Muffins

Nope. No cryptic or clever meaning behind this. Just simply that we've been enjoying the sunshine and I made some muffins.

The weather just all of a sudden became beautiful and warm. Dare I say too warm? No, I dare-n't. I do hope we get a true spring, but I'll take this over snow any day.

In the sudden-ness of the sunshine, I realized that we didn't have any outside toys. Since our days are now filled with pleas for "ow-side", "ow-side", "OW-SIDE!!", we made a quick dash to Target for some balls and sidewalk chalk. The chalk is mostly for eating, of course.

I also had to dig out the sunscreen and, as expected, it is even more challenging to lotion up a squirmy 16-month-old than a slightly-less-squirmy baby. I also realized the Girly is continuing with her protest of all hats and things hat-like, so I had to get creative with protecting her head.

Last year, she would tolerate a sun hat and we really didn't spend all that much time outside in the sun, what with the napping and breastfeeding around the clock. This year, though, her hair is almost always in pigtails and I worry about her scalp burning. I like our California Baby sunscreen, but it really doesn't work for her scalp. I needed something quick and grabbed the Banana Boat Kids spray sunscreen at Costco. I have enough to spray the scalps of a gaggle of children - come on over. I had a little bit of buyer's remorse about possibly not choosing the 'safest' sunscreen (see Safe Mama's list here), but then I had to get over it because a burnt scalp is far worse.

Also, note to self: If there is a Child #2, work harder on getting them to wear hats.

As for the sunglasses, Girly's eyes are bright blue and I notice her squinting. I am terrible at wearing sunglasses (they just never look right on my face. Tips??), but I really would like her to wear some. I got some at Target that are on an elastic band with velcro in the back. Umm, FAIL. Any good ones that your kids will wear?

As for the muffins, these are a good (pretty healthy) treat. I got the recipe from Mark Bittman's blog, which always has delicious sounding stuff.

Here is the original post. Be sure to click through to the Minimalist column and read it for extra tips and pointers, including the comments. I made them as written with canned pumpkin the first time because it is so easy. Truthfully, I thought they were just so-so, but Girly loved them. Next time I will jazz them up with some spices and a more flavorful fruit/veggie. I even wonder if peaches or strawberries would work? Maybe too liquidy ...

Whole Wheat Muffins

Published: February 5, 2010

1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, more for greasing tins

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, preferably pastry flour (keep your whole wheat flour in the freezer)

3/4 to 1 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed or puréed banana, sweet potato, apple, zucchini, cooked or canned pumpkin, or other fruits or vegetables

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk (I uses this buttermilk powder so I always have it on hand. Just mix with water! You can find it at any grocery store, I bet.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease two 6-cup muffin tins or fill with liners. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, banana, egg and buttermilk. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined.

2. Fill muffin tins or liners; bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until muffins are puffed and turning golden brown on top. Serve warm if possible.

Yield: 12 (regular sized) muffins. I made mini muffins and it makes a ton.

Finally, if I was a betting girl, I would bet that our daughter will be a huge fan of popsicles. I think some of these molds might be in order so I can make a healthy version with blended fruit and yogurt.

I probably should taste them first, though, just to make sure they are OK.

I heart technology

I think this is pretty common-sensical (is that a word?) ... but, it has come in handy for me a couple of times in the last month.

Use your digital camera and Flip video to show things to your child's doctor. This might seem like a bit of overkill, but in certain circumstances, a picture really is worth 1000 words.

Our Girl had the strangest skin irritation around her mouth after eating oatmeal on three different occasions. The first time we chalked it up to lots of other things, but by the second time it became pretty clear what the cause was. I took a picture to 1) email to my pediatrician brother-in-law (perk!), and 2) document it in case it got worse over time (it didn't).

In case you are wondering, I have the culprit narrowed down to allspice. Or cinnamon. Or the combination of the two. Hmmmmm.

Also, this week we had our first experience with wheezing after many days of a cold. I grabbed our video camera to document how it sounded just in case she didn't do it at the doctor's office. (She did, of course, so we didn't need the video). I work in the medical field and think I am a little more medically-savvy than some, but I still find it hard to answer some questions: "Does she wheeze when she inspires or expires? Or both?" Ummm ... I really don't know .... I was chasing her around trying to put socks and shoes on so we could leave the house.

These are minor examples, but heaven forbid your child ever has a more serious medical issue, it could be very important. Documenting things like a seizure or a head injury could be very valuable in an emergency situation when trying to make medical treatment plans.

I know - wah, wah.

I doubt anyone would have the presence of mind to grab their camera in an emergency, but now that I have planted the seed, maybe you will!

Making my life easier

Our girl has skills. (Or is it skillz? I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be using words that end in Z).

She has achieved quite a few new things in just the last 2 weeks or so ... some of which I am loving, and some of which I am tolerating until they pass.

Under the "why didn't I think of this sooner?" category ... Girly will now lay on the floor, propped in her Boppy, and feed herself her entire bottle. I had seen a triplet mother I know (can you even imagine?!) do this with her trio, but it never occurred to me to do it with my singleton. I just attempted it one morning out of desperation - Dad out of town, Mom has to be somewhere, Baby won't nurse and now Mom has to pump. I sat by her on the floor pumping while she was thrilled to be feeding herself. I sat her up to burp half-way through, then she finished. I am telling you - this is GREAT.

She is also on the move. Not full-on crawling yet, but definitely scooting backwards, rolling all directions, up and down to sit, and more than anything else, totally motivated to get to things. Like hangers and remotes and plastic bags. Literally, on a Monday morning we sat her in the middle of our bed with toys while we got ready for work, as we had for months, and by Friday this was no longer a safe option. So, now we have the Pack n'Play in our room (Dad calls it "her house") so she can play with toys. While confined. Plus, it is so cute when she scratches her fingers on the mesh siding and presses her face into it to see us better. Maybe not so much "house" and more like "jail". Whatever.

While all the moving has taken some getting used to (I know, I know - it only gets more challenging), it has also affected her sleeping in good and bad ways. On the bad side, she practices moving in her crib. So, she'll be quiet for a while, then scream out because she is stuck on all fours, or crammed into the bars at the bottom of her bed. She settles quickly once we move her and I know that soon she will be fine on her own. I am certainly willing to tolerate this because of one SUPER unexpected side effect of all the moving. Our former "I'll-start-crying-at-5:15am-until-they-get-me" daughter has slept late for the last FIVE mornings. Before you get too excited, by late I mean somewhere between 6:15-6:50am, but this is still a major accomplishment. I can only conclude that she much prefers sleeping on her side or belly. The lovey also helps, which she now truly cuddles in the most adorable way. I can also conclude that I am happy.

Finally, a new entry into the "clearly I am a Mom now" category: scraping off cradle cap with oil and a comb. Eeewww. Our Gal has had cradle cap pretty much since birth. She was born with a mop of hair, though, so it was kind of hard to see and even harder to get at to remove. When she was brand new, she had it in her eyebrows and it looked sad, but as she got older, it just didn't seem to matter. While I still don't think it matters or bothers her, fast forward to 8 months when you pick up your daughter at daycare and they have been playing beauty parlor and her hair is up in a pony. AND she has yellow waxy scales all over her head and looks like a creature from some alien movie.

I had read that baby oil or olive oil would do the trick, but it just seemed to be a Challenge with a FULL head of hair. I bit the bullet today, though, because it was driving me crazy. I loaded the Girl in her highchair with graham crackers, poured grapeseed oil (so she doesn't smell like a salad) on her head and scratched away with a comb until she wouldn't tolerate it anymore. Then, I took the greaser straight to the tub and, while The Fonz look was cute, I am happy to report that her scalp is MUCH improved.

Here Comes the Sun

While I love the idea of a sun tan, in reality, I'm not much of the pool type. When I worked full time I only rarely spent a weekend day at the pool - too much to do. I also don't really tolerate the heat, and because I am so pale I can't stay long - it is a vicious cycle.

Now that I am home a few days during the week, though, and I have a little baby dolphin, I'm sure we will be off to splish splash around in the near future.

I'd heard a general rule about not applying sunscreen to little babies until after 6 months, but the American Academy of Pediatrics does say to use it if there is no other option. I think it is just common sense - a new baby probably shouldn't be in the sun long enough to think about needing sunscreen.

I asked our pediatrician at our 6 month visit - he recommended at least SPF 30, broad spectrum (UVA and UVB) and PABA-free. His feeling was that a lot of "baby sunscreens" are just marketing tools and that there was nothing special about them, but some babies will have sensitive skin and need a special formula.

I found a great sunscreen review at Safe Mama. Their list is extensive and products must be free of parabens, phthalates, and other stuff that is hard to spell. TruKid was their favorite product. It looks like TruKid has lots of great natural skin care products for kids, but I think you can only order through their website.

Being outside also means BUGS. Here is the Safe Mama list for bug repellents. I found the Burt's Bees one at our local HyVee in the health food section.

Safe Mama also has other lists about safe baby wipes, and dishes and stuff. I believe in safe products for my child and safe products for our environment, but sometimes it is a little much (even for me) and I start to go crazy. I currently operate under the philosophy of, "if it is a similar/reasonable price and I can find it without much hassle, I'll get it." Baby steps ...

Don't forget about eye protection! These Frubi Shades are pretty cute and functional.

Sun clothes can be a good option, too: Baby Sunwear

I also worked with a pediatric dermatologist who recommended a product you can wash into your regular clothes that makes them sun protective - Rit SunGuard.

I'm just trying to do what I can to protect her skin while I'm in charge. Before she becomes a teenager and runs around in a bikini with boys. Ugh.

Safety First

Not much to report on week 21. I learn more and more about our Girl's personality every day, but can't say that I have had any "aha! moments".

So ... a random, but hopefully useful topic.

I have (rather atypically) found myself having several conversations about guns in the last week or so. We don't own a gun and there will never be a gun in our home. As part of these conversations, I have repeatedly pointed out to my family members that I will need to ask other parents about their own gun policies once our Girl starts visiting friends.

Yes, I have time before this becomes an issue. But, you know me, obsess early and often!

I think my approach will be more "let me tell you about our home ... no guns, no pets, no drugs, no smoking, no prescription pain killers, no pool ..." and hope that the other parent follows suit. Our daughter does not attend an in-home daycare, but obviously the same issues apply.

For those of you with older children - how do you deal with this?

Other things I obsess about ...

Registered Sex Offenders in your neighborhood? Family Watchdog lets you search your neighborhood. There are a lot of issues with accurate tracking of registered sex offenders, but at least this is a start.

Infant CPR: We took a class before the Girl was born and it was terrifying and helpful. I keep the little cheat sheet on our refrigerator and should review it more often than I do. Ideally, all grandparents, aunts, uncles and caregivers should also have taken a CPR class. Check out your local Red Cross for more information.

Car Seat Installation: Something ridiculous like 85% of car seats are used incorrectly. This is so, so important. Our local police department does it for free (and my husband almost missed the birth of our child because the seat was being installed!). You can check Seatcheck.org for local sites. Even more importantly, make sure you understand how to install it on your own if the car seat will be taken in and out of the car.

Some Safety Sites ...
Check out Hip Monkey if you are planning to purchase a car seat or stroller (or other baby gear). They donate all proceeds from sales to a non-profit organization that provides safe car seats to kids in need. They offer free shipping on orders over $99 and no sales tax and sell only the safest models.

Choking Hazards: I'm becoming more and more aware of this and will have to be especially vigilant once the Girl becomes mobile. In planning a get together for young kids of all ages, I realized that I don't know what toys and games are really appropriate for a mixed crowd, so I'll go with the safest option - no parts smaller than your head! (Seriously, though, I think a good rule of thumb is anything that can fit through a toilet paper roll is a choking hazard.)

Recalls: It seems like items are recalled every day. While they are often publicized on TV or in the paper, they are easy to miss. Be sure to fill out the registration papers that come with your baby furniture or any big toys - they can notify you of recalls that way. I also find these Baby Bargains blogs to be useful (Book Blog, Baby 411)

Be careful out there!

Mr. Boppy, Will you marry me?

I intended to have a great post this weekend about the progress we were making in moving the Gal from 6 to 5 feedings and moving her sleep schedule around.

Remember when I said "The only predictable thing about parenting is that it always changes" .... huh ... turns out I was right! Girly is sick this weekend and it just seemed too cruel to move everything around on her. Plus, if she woke during the night, I needed to be able to interpret what was going on ... hungry? not tired? stuffy? fever? .... there were just too many variables. Will try again soon ....

So, in the meantime, I thought I would give a little snapshot of our favorite things these days. A good friend just posted on her blog about the things her 6-week-old son loves, and I was inspired again!

The Boppy continues to be a can't-live-without-it item for us. I use it every time I nurse. Girly doesn't sit propped in it as much as she used to, but it is great for when she has a stuffy head. If we had a big house I would consider getting two - I am always chasing that thing around. I also think you really only need 1 cover for 1 boppy, unless your baby is a crazy spitter-upper. I can almost always catch any mess with a burpcloth.

Speaking of ... burpcloths are a lifesaver. I bet we had 25 when we brought the Girl home and my mother famously wondered, out loud, exactly what we would be doing with all of them. I'll tell you what - we'll be spitting and drooling and spitting some more. And, we don't even have a spitty baby! You can't have too many (unless you want to do laundry every day).

Our next favorite thing right now is the dangly-toy-bar-flashy-thing. You know what that is, right? This is a 3-in-1 exersaucer and that arched toy bar comes off as a separate toy.

We borrowed the Baby Einstein playmat from a friend and Girly used to be mesmerized by the flashy music face. Now, it isn't as entertaining and she prefers to bat at the toys on this bar. As a side note, this exersaucer was recalled (just needed a special part). Check here for a Product Recall Finder.

Girly continues to dislike her baby Papasan chair. It vibrates and plays music, but she couldn't care less. There is no way to predict what your baby will like or dislike, but I think she might have preferred a true bouncy seat. This BabyBjorn chair is especially stylish. Pricey, but stylish. (That's important, right?)

The Bumbo is an enigma to me. It is darn cute to see her sitting in it, but she just sits there. It isn't very entertaining for her. (But it is for me!) I have had a few friends say that it was useful when their babies started eating cereal and weren't quite ready for the high chair. Time will tell ...

I have had a stroller revelation. As an owner of 3 strollers, who has barely used 1, I encourage you to consider carefully when choosing the best stroller for you and your lifestyle. As a first time Mom, it sure seemed like I needed THE STROLLER. I find the Bugaboo to be just darling, but even I wasn't crazy enough to shell out the $$ for it. I ended up with the Zooper Waltz.

I have been happy with it and it satisfied my desire for safety, style, price and originality. It works well and is one of the lighter strollers (of the travel system variety) out there. If I had to do it again; however, I would skip this stroller in favor of a Snap N Go.

This is a much less expensive option that still fulfills the need of holding the infant carrier. I would have spent my money on a jog stroller (I hear the BOB is good). Jog stroller? Me? I know - I thought the same thing. I don't jog. But, even the typical stroller just doesn't cut it on walks around the neighborhood. I think 3 strollers are probably ideal - some inexpensive device that holds the infant carrier, a jog stroller for walks/runs, and an umbrella stroller for when baby is bigger. (I do have the Maclaren and am looking forward to using it!)

I did some shopping this week and the lucky Girl has a few goodies in the mail ... Green to Grow bottles, Kipiis Clips, Tilty Cups and Sophie the Giraffe. I previously signed up for emails from Right Start - they have great kiddy items and send discounts now and then (prompting the shopping).

Also ... the First Aid Edition:

- Nose suckers: I like the blue one from the hospital the best, although they are a little big for newborn nostrils. Get several - one for each floor / each room where you might need it. I am always chasing it around ...

- Saline drops for the nose: These work great to loosen the gunk, and inexplicably, the bottle runs out super fast. Buy several to have on hand, and just get the generic version.

- Sleep positioner: I think I wrote about this before, but the Girl just wiggles right out of the wedge positioner, so it isn't very safe to have in her crib. I find it easier (and cheaper) to just raise the head of her mattress by putting a folded blanket or two under there.

- Thermometer: I have yet to take a rectal temperature, and am not looking forward to it. Girly hasn't been too sick, so the axillary temp works fine. Our Uncle-pediatrician recommended the temporal artery thermometer, but we don't have one yet.

So much stuff for a 13 pound creature! I find myself scanning the room now while Girly nurses to find spaces that will work for hidden storage ... oy.

It's the simple things

I use it almost every day.

I got this great tip from a family friend who is a nurse, before the Girl was born.

Maybe it is intuitive, but because someone told me about it, I'm not sure if I would have done it by instinct or not ...

Just in case ....

When you blow in a baby's face it triggers a swallowing reflex. The Girl chokes while she is feeding at least once a day (she is an eager little thing). Works like a charm.

It also works when you put medicine in their mouth to get them to swallow. Now ... if I could just get the whole dropper in there to begin with we might be on to something.

Saturday, Bloody Saturday

Well, it happened.

I cut the Girl's fingernails today for only about the 5th time since she was born. I tore her little nails as long as I could because I was afraid I would cut her, but eventually her nails got strong enough that it wasn't so easy.

I have little baby nail clippers that seem to work OK. The first time, I tried cutting her nails just after she woke up and was drowsy. I propped her in the boppy in my lap, but she just got mad because she was hungry. After that, I cut them after she ate and was in a food coma and pretty content to lay in my lap in the boppy for a few minutes.

Her nails were so long today that she was scratching me, so out came the clippers. I was even getting full of myself thinking, "I'm so good - I haven't ever cut her finger!" Should have known better ...

Little baby thumbs bleed. A lot. She didn't even notice that her finger was cut and only squawked when I held her thumb in a kleenex to try to stop the bleeding. No luck. At that point I was trying to problem solve with a bleeding baby in my lap and a husband in Las Vegas. Awesome.

It was just a little blood, granted, but because it was on her thumb and her hands are constantly going to her mouth, she left little blood streaks all over her face. Nothing like that to make you feel like a crappy parent.

At first I tried a little bandaid. 1) Ha! What was I thinking? NO WAY will bandaids stick on baby fingers. 2) Even if a bandaid would stick on a baby finger, I'm sure it's a choking hazard.

My next attempt worked pretty well to buy me free hands to try something else ... She still grasps whatever is placed in her hands, so I wrapped a kleenex around the tip of her thumb and tucked it into her fist so she would hold it in place. If the bleeding would have stopped faster, this might have solved the problem.

However.

Back to my original point that baby thumbs bleed a lot! It wouldn't stop, so a call to my mom ended with the suggestion of cornstarch. Luckily I had some and, let me tell you, it was like Three Stooges around here. Trying to put cornstarch on a baby's thumb and holding it in place until it stops bleeding is comical. Despite the fact that there is now powdery white stuff everywhere, it did seem to do the trick. My last ditch effort was going to be wrapping her thumb in kleenex and swaddling her to keep it in place until the bleeding stopped.

After she fell asleep, I searched on Parent Hacks for any other tips. I didn't find any about bleeding fingers, but several about clipping nails.
- I have friends who have their husbands cut fingernails while the baby is nursing. Might work for you, but Erik isn't interested in participating.
- Other friends find that baby scissors with rounded tips work better than clippers, but they are hard to find and I didn't want to buy a whole First Aid kit just for those.
- Lots of friends say they cut nails while baby is sleeping, but the Girl is always swaddled, so I can't get to her hands.
- Other suggestions from the website include cutting nails in the tub (softens the nails and makes for easy cleanup), using a lint roller to pick up the little baby nail shards from your furniture, cutting nails while baby is in the carseat or Bjorn, and just foregoing nail clippers and using an emery board instead.

Any other tips?