Wednesday, August 29, 2007

All Better

Finally! It has been an extremely long week, but she's finally better. Today was the first week of women's bible study and because I was unsure if she was better, Rocky stayed home this morning and watched her. However, he called me right after the study though to tell me she was really happy when she woke up and then took a 2 hour nap. The rest of the day was just as great. Her afternoon nap was 2 hours too and she squealed all through dinner. Her appetite seems better too. I'm so excited to see her back to her old self again.

Despite her being sick for a week that doesn't mean we didn't have some fun as well. A fever can't keep our girl down. Here are a few pics of what we did.

Talked to her grandma on the phone:


Sat in her high chair for the first time:


Learned a woman's "place" from dad :)


Rode in the bronco for the first time:


Practiced sitting up more (which she's really good at and excited about. notice her excited flailing arms):


Played with a ball, now one of her favorite toys. She may already be more athletic than us. Colleen said we should get her a mini basketball and hoop.


On a totally different note, here's a picture of Adelaide's hair now; it's growing in blonde! I don't know where this kid came from. Blonde hair and blue eyes?

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Diapers, a Review

Everyone has their own opinion of diapers. I now have my own, but when I was registering for my baby shower and preparing for Adelaide's arrival, I just went on everyone else's opinions. I heard Huggies were the best, no Pampers, no the Target brand's just fine. . .so I set out to try almost every brand out there and formulate my own opinions. Since I've been doing research, I thought I'd pass along my findings. Take it or leave it.

Here are the brands I've tried thus far (and remember):
Pampers Swaddlers
Luvs
Target
Huggies
HEB
Fred's (like the Dollar Store, I got them as a gift)
White Cloud (Walmart)
Parent's Choice (Walmart)

Above I sorted them sorta by favorite to least favorite. It gets kinda hard toward the end there since I hate them all. Rocky's list varies from my own so that just goes to show no one agrees.

The things I really look for in a diaper are leak protection, bulkiness (or lack thereof), softness, and overall fit (this includes the stretchiness of tabs and what not).

So here's the run down:


I'm being specific about the brand being Swaddlers because I believe I tried the Pampers Baby-Dry but I can't remember if I liked them or not. OK, in my humble opinion Pampers are absolutely the best. They don't leak even after a 12 hour night. They aren't bulky. They are very soft, and they fit wonderfully. The tabs are stretchy and soft too. They fasten and release over and over without a problem (a must with a squirmy baby like mine). They also happen to be the most expensive diapers out there. That's what inspired my quest to find the best diaper for the best price.



I'm a huge fan of Luvs. Rocky isn't. I'll tell why I've formed my opinion and placed Luvs as runner up. Luvs are cheap. They are about $0.11 each versus about $.20 each for Pampers. They actually have a guarantee that if you don't think they hold up against leaks as well, they'll refund your money. I was all about putting that to the test and was very pleased. They can hold a full night of urine no problem. The lack of bulkiness was also a huge plus. They are actually thinner than the Pampers. As far as softness, they aren't as soft as Pampers but they are acceptable. The fit is pretty good. The tabs aren't that stretchy but they release well. They are definitely a great value. I've heard of multiple Pampers addicts that have recently converted to Luvs. Adelaide was a bit red when we used Luvs. Rocky thinks it was because of these diapers but I switched her back to Pampers for awhile and the redness didn't go away for awhile. I'm not sure it was related though Luvs scents their diapers which can lead to irritation in some kiddos.

Target

There are a few pros to the Target brand. One is the design. They are pretty cute and don't pay for rights to put any cartoon characters on them which I respect. They are also cheap (about the same as Luvs) and they are not bulky. There are lots of down sides to Target diapers though. They are not very good at preventing leaks. I put Adelaide in these 3 nights and all three nights she leaked through. Frustrating. I hate having to change a kiddo out of her sleeper and change sheets in the middle of the night. I still have some and they are fine during the day. The fit is OK but they aren't soft and the tabs really stink. They aren't stretchy and they are absolutely the worst about releasing and resticking well. They pull alot of the diaper off with them. All in all, I wouldn't buy them again because I think it's ridiculous to have to have a different diaper for nighttime.


I had a hard time ranking Huggies over HEB diapers. I don't know how Huggies cost so much and people still pay for them. They are softer than all the cheap brands but Adelaide leaked through them on a daily basis when we used them. The poo dams have to be manually pulled up and put into place. I don't know if you understand what those are but if you have a baby you probably know what I'm referring to. Anyway, no other brand have I had to do that with. Also Huggies are bulky. They are bulkier than Luvs, Pampers, Target, and HEB probably all combined. I could put those 4 diapers on Adelaide all at once and the bulkiness would be about equal to Huggies. OK, I'm exaggerating a bit but not alot. Therefore the bulkiness made the fit not so good. The tabs and everything were fine though. I never tried the Huggie Supremes but I figured I hated the others so much I wasn't gonna pay extra for those.


For those of you that live outside of Texas, this review won't be helpful since HEB is a Texas chain of grocery stores. Upon first inspection, the HEB brand looks just like the Target brand. The design is a little different but the shape, size, and everything are the same. Then you pick up the HEB diaper and realize that it's stiff. It feels like it's got a steel rod running through it or something. Maybe it's there to protect baby's tailbone from falls? Really, it's a bit much. I haven't tried the HEB diaper overnight yet because if it performs at all like it's twin brother, I don't want to have to go through that hassle. They work fine for daytime use. They aren't soft. The fit is OK if you can get past the stiffness of the thing. The tabs are better than the Target ones, not great but better. One cool thing about them is that along with the Clifford design, they've got bones covering the diaper. You are wondering now what's cool about that. Well, these bones disappear when the diaper is wet. They won't tell you if there's a gooey surprise, but the indicator could be helpful for new moms. They are cheap. I got 2 in store coupons making the diapers slightly less than $.10 each! I still probably won't be buying them again.


Fred's, White Cloud, Parent's Choice

I'm gonna just go ahead and lump the last 3 together. I probably need to re-review these because I just used them when Adelaide was a newborn, they were some I received as shower gifts, and I can't really remember what they were like except that I was unimpressed with all of them. Fred's were tolerable. I can't remember which, the White Cloud or Parent's Choice, I just wound up using to catch any accidents while I was changing her diaper. They stunk so badly. I've read alot online about people loving white cloud though so I feel like I should try them one more time.

Well, that's what I've got so far. I've heard great things about Albertson's diapers and White Cloud so I'll probably try those after I run through all the diapers I've got upstairs sitting in Adelaide's closet. I'd love to hear your thoughts on diapers too and if there are any you think I should try.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Health Havoc

The Conly family is struggling a bit. I just found out I've got some thyroid issues. I got referred to a endocrinologist and have an appointment Sept. 5. The doc thinks I have something called thryoiditis which isn't extremely uncommon in new moms. Anyway, that could explain why I haven't been feeling like doing much.

Adelaide went to the doc today. She had been fussy in the evenings for the past few days and has had a mild fever too. She hadn't been eating well or sleeping well either. Well, Dr. Spencer checked her ears, throat, and stomach and said everything looked fine. He thought we should go ahead and get a blood sample though just in case. That was sad to watch. For little kiddos like Adelaide, they prick a finger tip and them squeeze blood out to put in a vial. Adelaide cried a little bit but calmed down by the time she was done.

I hated to be the paranoid parent that came in without a reason but I hated even more what I found out when the nurse called with the results of the test. She said the results showed that Adelaide has a virus. :( This is her first sickness. I'm guessing she got it from some of the kiddos she hangs out with regularly. Being a virus, there's nothing we can do but let it run it's course and treat the symptoms. So I've been giving Adelaide some tylenol. Poor girl. It sucks to see her feel bad.

Hopefully we'll all be back to normal soon. . . on a positive note, Adelaide is sitting up, really sitting up now. Here's a video to prove it:


Also here she is playing yesterday with a lemon. Nothing much to really say about this picture but I thought it was funny. I think the bumbo seat and tray are some of my absolute favorite baby things. I use them all the time. I use it for her to play in, and it's what I'm using for her high chair now too.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

5 months today!

Every time Adelaide hits a 21st, it makes me really think about how much she's grown. It's crazy that 5 months ago she was born; it feels like yesterday. OK, not yesterday but maybe a few weeks ago. She's gone from being a floppy baby that couldn't hold up her head to a baby who today cruised around in the pool in her baby boat, laughing and splashing.

Today as Adelaide was eating her dinner she realized she can grab the spoon, not a realization I was hoping she'd discover. People use the phrase "like taking candy from a baby" to describe something being easy. Well, taking a spoon from a baby is anything but easy. Adelaide had a super grip on the spoon numerous times, slopping food all over herself.

Things seem to be getting back on track as far as her schedule. The past few nights she's slept very well. I decided on Sunday I would let Adelaide "cry it out" since with all the travel she learned that I would go in to her so she wouldn't wake any one up. I know people may disagree with this method but I knew she wasn't hungry and I also know she can sleep longer than that. Sunday night she went to bed at 9 and woke up at 4 am. I let her cry. She cried for about an hour and 15 minutes. It wasn't really hard crying. She finally went back to sleep and we had to wake her up at 7:30. All her naps yesterday were perfect too. Last night she went to bed at 8 and then woke up at 5. She only cried 5 minutes last night and woke up on her own at 7:30. Much better. What will tonight hold? Hopefully a full night's sleep with no crying this time. Hopefully this will be the start of some consistency for a inconsistent girl.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Adelaide's first addiction (and hopefully her last)

We were hanging out with the neighbors for dinner tonight when Adelaide got hungry. We didn't have a bottle over there so Jamie offered to mash up a banana for Adelaide to munch on while Rocky went to get her bottle. From bite one she was hooked. She ate half the banana as fast as possible. She would cry in between bites because I couldn't shovel it in fast enough.

When Rocky came back with the bottle, I tried to feed her that but she cried. Then I tried to nurse her and she cried. She cried and cried. The only thing that I could figure was that she was hungry for more banana. Jamie mashed up the rest and mixed it with a little formula. As soon as the banana hit her lips, Adelaide was happy again. She gobbled down the entire other half of the banana. I didn't know her little stomach could hold that much.

I think we're gonna hold off on more bananas for awhile since she won't eat anything else once she gets a taste for them. It was really funny to see her so excited about eating. Thus far she hasn't rejected any food. She's liked everything we've given her-- sweet potatoes, apples, rice cereal, and now bananas. Hopefully she's stay that way, not picky. I'm hoping to start a baby food making get together about once a month with our new parents class at church.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Fun with Dad

Rocky's been taking care of Adelaide alot recently. She loves her dad so much. I love that he can make her laugh so easily. Here's some recent pictures of her with Rocky around the house.

One of the cool things about Rocky in Adelaide's opinion is his accessories. He's got hats and glasses. Rocky regularly tops her head with his hats and she regularly takes his glasses from him.



Gwyneth got this great onesie for Adelaide. I absolutely love it. I've put her in it whenever it's clean. It's a 6-12 month size so I'm glad I went ahead and tried it on her now so we get as much wear out of it as possible. Those darn sizes; each brand is so different. She's wearing clothes from sizes 0 up to 12.

Adelaide is in love with Scooter. She likes our other cat but really gets excited when Scooter's around. Here she is "petting" him. She usually winds up pulling out a chunk of his fur. He tolerates it well though.

I think I can

Adelaide wants to be independent so badly. She wants to crawl sometimes and gets frustrated when she can't. She wants to get her point across but can only babble. She wants to eat but wants to feed herself. Here's some of her recent attempts.

Ah, my bottle:

I'm gonna put it in my mouth:

Uh, that's not right:

Ok, almost there:

Dang, this is harder than I thought. Maybe I need mom after all:

Saturday, August 11, 2007

A couple new videos

Adelaide has become very ticklish. I just get near her neck or sides and she giggles like crazy. Here she is today laughing while I sing her a song I recently learned from this book Liza Degarmo let me borrow. She absolutely loves it.


We recently got this jump 'n go for Adelaide to play in. I attach it to the doorway of our bedroom and can watch her from the living room. Before we went to Colorado she was only able to touch one of the buttons on the toy that's on the front. It's amazing what 2 weeks can do. When we got back she was able to reach the entire toy and figured out to work all the different parts. This thing entertains her for a really long time.

One of those days

Today is one of those days. I don't know if you have them but I assume since you're human you know what I'm talking about. It's one of those days where I just want to stay in bed and mope. I feel sad. It could be because I woke up at 4:00am to the sound of a screaming baby and didn't get to go back to sleep til 6:30 or it could be a hormonal thing or maybe there's no reason at all for it. I'd like to think that there's at least a reason. Today is one of those days where I feel like no one cares. Rocky doesn't love me. Adelaide is crying because of me. I don't have any real friends. No one cares. I know I'm being pathetic especially since I'm writing about it, but in some weird way it helps me to write about what's going on. I guess it's good that I'm at least recognizing my situation and am trying not to take it out on anyone but I want to feel normal today. I want to laugh when Adelaide laughs. I want to be happy when I go about my day but it feels impossible.

I really want to figure out what's going on with Adelaide. She seems really sad today too. Is it because I'm down or is it once again the whole lack of sleep thing? The two of us have been functioning that way recently. Adelaide's always been a good sleeper but the last two weeks have not been typical. She's had some good nights but they've been the except to the rule not the norm. She's been waking up almost every night at 3 or 4 am screaming. Not crying, screaming. I try and wait it out thinking she'll go back to sleep but she won't. Finally I'll go up to her room and try to console and nothing works. Rocking, no. Walking, no. Talking to her, no. All that will calm her is nursing. So I nurse her. Then she'll fall asleep so I try to put her in her crib and as soon as she hits the sheets, screaming. Even when she woke up in the middle of the night as a newborn, she'd eat and go immediately to sleep. Last night she laid in bed inconsolable and unable to fall asleep for over 2 hours. It was heartbreaking.

So naturally today after struggling with this issue for 2 weeks off and on, I'm beginning to question everything. Is she eating enough during the day? Is she not feeling well? Is she still adjusting from our trip? Basically the only thing that seems to fit is the whole eating thing. Adelaide just hasn't been eating much at all. She may nurse for 4 minutes total. Then I'll offer her a bottle and she won't take that either. Sometimes she'll flatly refuse to eat anything at all. Most meals are only 3 ounces or so when at this point she's supposed to be eating 6-8 each. She's actually eating less now than when she was younger. It's really weird. So sometimes I think when she's waking up in the middle of the night she's actually hungry now and finally giving in. Not cool. It's so weird that eating has always been Adelaide's biggest issue. She cries most when we're trying to feed her.

I know that's not the only reason I'm feeling sad though just the one that I feel like working on today. I'm hoping we'll figure out what to do soon, if there is anything else we can do.

It's sorta been a lonely week too. Our bible study was canceled on Sunday and our normal Wednesday night hang out was off so I think I'm just missing people. Once again of course I'm thinking that they probably don't miss me. (Remember I'm in "I feel worthless" mode). Here's to hoping tomorrow is better and that I remember the truth.

Friday, August 10, 2007

4 month check up and adventures in eating

Adelaide went on Monday for her 4 month check up (although she's now 4 and 1/2 months old) and things went very smoothly. She weighed in at 15 lbs (75th percentile), 25 inches (70th percentile) and a head that's a mere 60th percentile. The doc said she's superb, that she's got an amazingly strong torso for her age, and that she should be rolling over and sitting up very soon. He said it helps that she's pretty proportional. Those kids with ginormous heads have a harder time understandably. She was once again super happy for the whole visit until the shots came of course. Rocky took the role of comforter this time. Her face turned red and she began to wail, which is heartbreaking for a kiddo that usually just whimpers when unhappy, but only cried for about 30 seconds or so. Rocky managed to make her smile at him and look at pictures around the room almost immediately after the shots. He worked his daddy magic.

Adelaide's started consolidating her naps with a really long one in the morning and usually just one more long one in the afternoon. This is all subject to change at any given moment of course. She's been waking up more often in the middle of the night recently. I'm not sure what's going on there but the pediatrician said he think she needs solid food, that this is common with kids that are ready to make that transition So we gave it a go.

Why does feeding a kid for the first time seem like such a dramatic event? Sure it was interesting because it was new for all of us. Kid was sitting in her bumbo with the tray, all bibbed up and ready to go. About half the food went in her mouth while most ended up elsewhere in the vicinity. Nice. Rocky's OCD really came out. We did decide we should take some photos though they are of course disgusting. Enjoy the first of what will probably be many photos of Adelaide with food all over her.



So not only are we feeding the girl now, but I'm also being an ambitious mom and making all of her food. I spent a little while the other night washing, peeling, cooking, and pureeing sweet potatoes and apples. I've got to admit it made me feel very accomplished and a little old fashioned. I'm storing the food by freezing it in ice cube trays and then putting the food cubes in ziploc bags. It's super easy to get out the right portions to heat up. Another plus of making my own food is that I enjoy eating the leftovers. Canned baby food just tastes nasty.

So far all that's passed through Adelaide's lips has been rice cereal and sweet potatoes. She had no issue at all with the cereal but the potatoes were another story. To me it seems like it would be the other way around. Bowl full of gray bland mush or bright orange yumminess? But the first time sweet potatoes hit her lips she made the most horrid face and slammed her arms down on the tray repeatedly in frustration. After the first two bites she got into it though and joyfully ate the rest. Right now we're aiming for 2 "meals" a day-- the first of cereal and the second of potatoes.

Adelaide's working on rolling over now. She rolled over from her tummy to her back about 7 times yesterday, only once in front of Rocky so he doesn't believe me. She's such a tough kid but doesn't like the feeling of losing control. I don't know where she gets that from :). So anytime she starts to fall over, she usually stops herself by correcting the position of her hands. Nice but very frustrating when I'm hoping she'll learn a new skill. I know the day will come soon enough.