The Land of the Lost Pacifiers and other Tidbits of New Motherhood

We should have 4 pacifiers. We have one. Where do they all go? At least we have the one though. It sure comes in handy. It even helps Cole go to sleep sometimes, very soothing (there's probably a reason the ones we have are called "Soothies", eh?). However, whenever I go out, I make sure I have one in my diaper bag and of course I inevitably lose it. Also, we take them from room to room and somehow they just disappear. I'm starting to wonder if the cats are not in on this...

Diaper rash update: The Balmex worked and cleared up Cole's diaper rash. The funny thing about this is that I talked to my dad the other day and guess what? He said when he read my blog he remembered that Balmex worked on me.  I should've just called him!

Pumping at work update: Not too good. Just like I suspected, no room has been procured for me to pump in and my schedule is such that I can pump after 4 hours of working, then 1.5 to 2 hours later and then if I choose to - after work (another 2.5 hours later). It's not the kind of schedule Cole is on nor would he ever be on it. If I wasn't breastfeeding this would be the ideal schedule (teaching the first three periods and the last two). But I am, and this is not even close to an ideal schedule, and it was made without knowledge of my need to express breastmilk. Why was it made without that knowledge? Because an email I sent to the person in charge over a month ago just sat in an inbox far far away from anyone's eyes. I'm not even about to go into how upset this whole thing made me when I first learned about it. Needless to say, I am hoping beyond hopes that things work out and this doesn't become a problem. I am totally aware of the state and federal law giving me the right to ask for a private room with a lock on the door, and also my right to ask for reasonable times to pump. I sincerely hope the people in charge are aware of these laws as well. I'm not dying to refresh their memories, but I will if I have to. On this topic I am currently reading Nursing Mother, Working Mother. Excellent book. Should've picked it up sooner, but glad I got before going back to work.

Cole is doing really well. Yesterday he turned 8 weeks old! He's almost two months. Next Tuesday, July 27, will be his 2-month birthday. He's starting to imitate what we do with our hands, he's noticing his feet more and more and he has more active alert time. His naps are also starting to develop a pattern, which is nice for me to know so I can plan accordingly. Sometimes, I'll plan an outing around his naptime, because I know he will go straight to sleep once he gets into the car seat and the car gets moving. Yesterday, for instance, I took him to the mall to go to Motherhood Maternity and to return something from Target. He slept through the first hour of our venture into the mall and woke up in Motherhood, where I fed him in the dressing room. I got some nice nursing tops for the rest of the summer and early fall. Today is pretty chilly but tomorrow is the Rosendale Street Festival and we are going with my dad. I will definitely be needing to use one of the tops then! I'm excited for the family outing.

This past Saturday Cole and I went to Waddle n Swaddle for a "babywearing bonanza." It wasn't as much of a bonanza as it was another person trying on an Ergo Carrier. Anyway, my purpose in going there was to try out another hold for Cole in the Wrapsody wrap in which he could be facing other people instead of me. I noticed that he hates being buried in my chest and enjoys looking around. So the owner showed me the "Joey" hold, which is Cole looking out at the world. And he LOVED it. He did not cry once. However, me being me, I have not been able to duplicate this hold at home. I have tried several times but I'm always worried his legs are hurting him or he's going to fall out, so I just have to keep trying. I have decided after much research and internal debate on a sling. One of my readers, Reagen recommended the New Native sling, and after reading reviews from Epinions and from babywearer.com as well as amazon and other places, I'm going to try out this fitted sling. The price is affordable too, which really helps. Sometimes I feel like a madcarrierwoman with all of these baby carriers, but then I talked to the other mothers at the mother's group I go to, and I discover that I am not alone. Some have about the same as me, some have more. I think a lot of it comes from buying things online or not trying it on in the store - or trying it on in the store (as in my case) but with a fake baby. Of course the fake baby is going to love it! They're never going to cry! I am also taking a chance buying the New Native online but I am going to buy it directly from the company and, like I said before, it is affordable.

Also, I made a product review page on this blog. You can reach it by clicking on the tab below my masthead.You should check it periodically because I will be posting product reviews for items related to babies and nursing. The review that's up there now was for the Chicco Cortina Travel System. My next review will be on cloth nursing pads. I've tried two different brands already.

So we are going to try the most daring thing two new parents could ever do - we're going to go camping with Cole in a few weeks. And we're going with Peter and Peg. I must say that Peter and Peg are very courageous for going with us. The good thing about where we are going camping is that it is not far at all. We are going to go camping at Devil's Tombstone, which is near Hunter Mountain, only about an hour from us. Also, Keith just purchased a portable swing from someone on Craigslist for the low low price of $15, so we are going to bring that along with us to soothe Cole in the event that he needs soothing. Cole loves the new portable swing. It actually has a lot more stimulation than the cradle and swing we have in the bedroom. Maybe we'd have to cover that up if we're going to use it for soothing....

I'm glad you are all enjoying my Daily Cuteness photos. I will post those when I don't have time to write posts (which is more often than not).  My next post will be a (blurry) picture of Cole and I at Waddle n Swaddle in the "Joey" hold. And I might post some other pics we took over the past few weeks with our new Canon Rebel.