the sequel

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I love it when a plan comes together!

Jessica has been avidly coupon-ing for many months now. Check out her blog for lots of ideas and resources! I however, am just getting started. I dabbled a bit last year but then when I got into full-blown pregnancy and working every day 15 miles away, I didn't devote the time to grocery shopping/planning that it takes to use coupons. My New Years resolution was to cut the grocery bill each month by a significant margin. I don't know how I am doing so far, but I feel like I am finally heading in the right direction!

This week is Triple Coupon days at Harris Teeter. I am also a VIC card holder and e-VIC member which sends a weekly email for their specials. Now usually when I heard about triples, I had just done my shopping trip or I didn't really have a stash of coupons to make it worth it. BUT this time, everything worked out just right. I had some coupons, we were just about out of groceries, and I found out in time to stretch what we did have and not shop too soon.

I am not going to lie, shopping the sales and using coupons is definitely time consuming. But I can see it getting easier the more you do it. I also have a system for making my list that simplified it for me. In the past, I would try to sort out my coupons by type and wander the store seeing which ones were a good deal. As you can imagine, that is exactly the nightmare it sounds like. Now that I am an e-Vic member, I just click on the weekly email and make a list online at the Harris Teeter website. Then when the list is printed, it divides all the items by section. I go back with my coupons and write in those items in their respective sections. That way when I get there, I can make one big loop without too much back-tracking. It's actually not a bad little system!

This week was the first time I really felt like it was worth it. And it makes me want to do it again! When I checked out, I saw my bill going up, up and away. I loaded up on Chicken (buy 1 get 2 free) and other staples that tend to be more expensive. I also shopped for at least 2 weeks, as opposed to my normal once a week to get more value out of the savings. I wondered if I had just done a very bad thing when the total was $234.27. Then the Vic savings came off, and then the coupons. My total: $133.40 !!! I saved $100.87 ! The cashier actually had to call the Store Manager over to approve my order because (and I quote) "you saved too much".

THAT was a good feeling.

I understand that the out of pocket was still pretty high, but truth be told that is not much more than I would normally spend for a weeks worth of food (I try to stay under $100) and we got way more food!

I also want to say that it's really useful to utilize the VIC card deals. The majority of my savings came from there. I saved about $70 with VIC deals and another $30 with coupons. I think I will do better with coupons in the future because I will have a better stash, but this was a great start!

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Cloth Diapering Update and a question!

Pick me pick me!

We are loving using cloth diapers but I have hit a wall with napping and I am not sure how to tackle it. Oscar sleeps in a disposable overnight and then I usually switch to cloth in the morning. However, the past few days have been a struggle sleep-wise and I have found that he will take longer naps in a disposable. The cloth diapers don't leak but if I try to use cloth, he wakes up in that sensitive transition time (usually around 45 minutes) because he can feel the wetness. I have some BumGenius one size dipes that have worked pretty well at naptime, but they are so bulky that I think he is a little uncomfortable. They kinda spread his legs out like a frog. So, I have been using disposables for naps...which with a 2 month old pretty much means all day because he sleeps so much!

What should we do? I don't want to give up on cloth, but Oscar definitely needs his sleep. Right now we have a mixture of prefolds/covers, AIOS and the BGs. We like all of them for different reasons and Oscar doesn't have a problem with them unless he is trying to sleep.

Cloth mommies, got any ideas??

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Oscar One Leg Johnson....

Who needs two pant-legs?
Not me!
You know why??
Because I am 2 MONTHS OLD!

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Mommy Time :-)

I went to visit my Mom at her job today. Partly to see her and let her see Oscar, and also because she saved her coupons from the Sunday paper for me! And it's always nice to get out of the house.

While we were there Oscar fell asleep for about an hour so it gave me a chance to walk around the mall! It was nice to do a little window drooling...and I was able to pick up a couple fun things for myself. I don't know if it's the fact that it's Spring, or that I just hatched a baby, or the fact that I love birds, or that Easter is around the corner, but I ended up with 2 equally adorable mommy-bird items that can go from purse to diaper bag!

A new wallet and a mommy pin (just for fun!)

Birds on the front

A Nest on the back!!

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Reflux Update

Well I can officially say that if Prilosec had a face, I would kiss it on the lips! Having Oscar on this medicine is like having a whole new baby! Or I should say, it's having our happy baby back! He sleeps better, eats better and just seems so much more comfortable. Yay!

He has started gazing into my eyes. I thought I was in love before! I guess "they" weren't kidding. It just keeps getting better and better :-)

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Let the good times roll...

Oscar had a rough morning but this afternoon and evening have been really good! I am hoping the Prilosec is doing it's thing and he is feeling better. I've also tried to pay much closer attention to nursing and make sure he isn't getting lazy and taking in too much air. We also take quite a few breaks so he doesn't drink too fast.

In the past couple days, my sister Amy has been here. It was great to see her and the kids and I felt bad that Oscar was feeling icky so much of the time. We did get some good smiles though and discovered his new favorite game, paci smiles! We were able to get some good pics (will post later) but it occurred to me to take video of it after she left...so here it is!

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A boy and his Dad....

Oscar and Jerry wore matching outfits today! They looked adorable and we all had lots of fun playing together :-)

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Saturday Silly

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In other news....

Oscar and I have had a rough week. Jerry has too. When he is here he is a big help so I don't want to leave him out! Basically, the happy times have become fewer and fewer while the fussiness has increased and even feeding is a struggle. For a while we thought it was a poop issue...something that resolved itself on Monday, but then when Oscar's demeanor didn't seem to get any better I started watching him like a hawk.

Of course I have been frustrated with him for not letting me catch a break, but in the past couple days I have really noticed that he just can't seem to settle. He has always preferred sleeping in the wrap or swing and I thought it was due to the motion. However lately he has been developing what I thought could be symptoms of reflux. He prefers to sleep upright, has started fussing during and after feeding seemingly in pain, and lately, spitting up in his mouth and then swallowing it. That was the one that got me. He didn't really spit up but I started to notice this little hiccup thing he would do and then swallow. And it definitely seemed to make him uncomfortable. So we went to the Dr. this morning after a night and morning full of tears and she said that it does indeed sound like reflux so we'll be starting Prilosec tomorrow.

In a way, I feel better. Like maybe there is something we can do for him. I hate to think that the past couple weeks have been miserable for him. I think it has just gotten a bit worse each day though so hopefully we caught the problem and can help fix it. If after a week or so nothing improves, then we just have a fussy stage on our hands, but I am not going to assume it's that when he could be in pain. I tend to think it isn't a disposition because I wouldn't think it would just come on all of a sudden. So we'll see how it goes.

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Internet, I need your help!

We have a fine rug for the living room, but at it's ripe old age of about 3 or 4 months, it is already starting to show wear, is misshapen and has 2 lovely stains right in the middle from dog vomit. SO, I found a new rug at a steal but I am just not sure it goes in the room. So, I am taking a poll. Please pay attention to the curtains. I love them so if it's rug vs. curtains, the curtains win.

Option 1 (current):

Option 2 (New):

WHAT SAY YOU????

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Activity!

So Oscar is starting to graduate (slowly but surely) from adorable baby that lays there, to adorable baby that lays there and maybe moves an arm once and a while! It's exciting, I assure you. I feel the need to balance out yesterday's post so I am going to inundate you with cuteness.

I bought this activity mat the day before I went into labor with Oscar. Jessica and I braved the cold and rain to go to the Kid's Exchange at the fairgrounds. Yes the website reads kidsexchange - heehee...We had it all timed out and it was great, until we tried to leave and realized we didn't factor standing in line for 45 minutes to pay into the equation. So Oscar, you can thank this activity mat for many things, including your birthday. And of course, fun!

Here is a video of his very first time on the giant baby-eating butterfly. He knew just what to do!



Today he was just as enamored and gave me that precious 10 minutes of smiling that gets me through the day :-)

Ohhh looky a Star!

One crosseyed baby...still trying to figure out this focusing thing

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Words of wisdom....

A good friend once told me, "It's ok to get mad at your baby".

I never really thought about getting mad at my baby but at the time I was still pregnant. Little did I know how easy it would be to project adult thought processes onto a tiny infant. Before I go any further, I don't want anyone to think this translates into 'it's ok to harm your baby', that's not it at all. There are no actions with these emotions, just honesty.

So in the first couple weeks it was easy to be forgiving. Oscar and I had been through quite an ordeal and neither one of us knew what we were doing. Of course most of the time we still don't, but we are learning each other. We go through ups and downs just like any new relationship, only the difference here is that Oscar can't mentally engage in the give and take part. It's all take for him at the moment and that should be OK.

What gets me is that I have to really REALLY guard against feeling like he owes me something. Lately, every time I leave the house he melts down. I have tried going to the mall, the Dr. office, friends' houses, Jerry's office, the store and each and every time, he has a major meltdown. It doesn't matter if I feed him before leaving, while there, or after we get home, if he is asleep or awake, his peaceful demeanor quickly dissolves into tears. It is SO completely frustrating and makes me never want to leave the house. I think the remedy is probably to KEEP going places so he can adjust to the world around him and not just our living room. However, this isn't something that sounds awesome to me so more often than not, we stay in. This is annoying, it's not what I pictured when I thought of having a baby and therefore I have to fight creeping feelings of resentment.

It's as if he is saying WAHHH WAHH WAHH, I need something and I don't know what it is, but what I hear is WAHH WAHH WAHH, You don't make me happy, why are you trying to ruin my life? I hate you! Clearly, I have some issues ;-) but I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that I don't think I'm alone.

And then of course, it doesn't help that there are the complete strangers who upon seeing you and your child for 13 seconds in the infant section of Babies R Us taking it upon themselves to state the obvious, "boy, he's REALLY going to town on that paci". Let's be clear. I would much rather someone come up to me and say, "Excuse me, I know we have never met, but do you think you could bother yourself to feed your child for once? Some of us are trying to shop in peace". At least then I wouldn't feel like she thought I was a failure AND an idiot.

Which brings me to another piece of advice given to me by a fellow mom, "I'll pray for you for patience, but in the meantime a sense of humor". So instead of being resentful, I'll try to take each day for what it is, a learning experience and another chance to laugh at myself and not take everything so seriously. And so Oscar, it's for this reason that I forgive you. You know, for being a baby.

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Pic of the Day

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Oh yeah, and.....

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A breath of fresh air

Thanks everyone for your encouraging words yesterday! It helps immensely to know my feelings are valid and 'normal' and just knowing I am not alone goes a long LONG way!

Oscar decided to give me a break last night and slept really well, only waking up twice to eat. He also went back down easily and this morning, flashed me several of these...

So THAT'S why we do it! It makes so much sense now :-)

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Trust

So far the most difficult part of parenting for me has been trusting myself. I have always felt pretty maternal, nurturing and kind of figured I would be a natural at the whole mommy thing. But I have never second guessed myself so much! It's actually quite exhausting. I can't seem to just say, I am the mommy and this is how it is. Funny thing is, I don't feel natural at all. I have had a hard time relaxing and I am constantly wondering if I made the right choice for Oscar. Is he hungry? Tired, hot, cold, gassy, in a bad mood?? I am not generally this uptight and it's driving me crazy!

I do remember times of perfectionism in my life when I have been super stressed out trying to 'perform' well. I guess this is like that times 1000. I love reading all kinds of books and blogs and I don't see that stopping anytime soon, but I do think that my mind needs a drain for all of this information. For every parenting idea, there is another one saying NO don't do that, you'll destroy your child!!! I keep saying that if I care this much about doing the right thing, then I am sure I am getting it right at least some of the time. Of course what is right anyway? Every baby is different and you have to know YOUR baby... which is the hardest part! I grew up following instructions. My favorite toys were legos and I was an expert at building the most elaborate sets at a young age. It was simple, you just follow the instructions starting with step 1.

OK, so I did step 1. I had the baby. NOW WHAT??? I am looking forward to having some confidence again. Sometimes I feel guilty that the first few weeks have been so stressful for me. I have tried to be 'in the moment' and just enjoy the baby and I have in some cases. But if I am honest, I have not enjoyed a LOT of the past few weeks and I feel outside myself. I don't think it's PPD. I think it's just what comes with a massive life change and it just takes time. But I don't want to forget that I had these thoughts and had to work through them. Maybe it's all part of becoming mommy....is there a pot of wisdom at the end of this rainbow?

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Oscar's 1 month Check up!

Well today was Oscar's 'one month' check up - even though he is a couple days shy of 6 weeks old - and it was great! He is in the 97th percentile for height and weight and the 90th percentile for head circumference woo woo! His official stats are 11 lbs 9.5oz, 23.5 inches long and head circumference 15.75.

Our Pediatrician "Dr. Bo" is awesome and I think Oscar is really going to like him! Of course he won me over when he went on and on about how we picked such a great name that evokes warm and happy feelings and said 'he's gonna have a lot of friends with that name!' :)

We were there a while and Oscar started to melt down toward the end. I fed him right before we left for the office and he was overtired by the time we were in the exam room. He even fell asleep on me twice while we were waiting. We got some information about vaccines so we can prepare for our 2 month visit and the dreaded shots. I guess it's finally time to start my vaccine research. I know I want to do some kind of delayed schedule but beyond that I haven't really done my homework. So that will be a priority in the next few weeks.

Oscar and I are learning each other more each day. He sleeps great in his crib at night but will only nap in the swing or the moby during the day. He falls asleep in the car sometimes but once we stop moving, has a hard time staying asleep. I am not really sure how to deal with that if I need to do errands because nap time is all I have and if he can only sleep at home then we are in trouble...at least there is the Moby for emergencies!

Speaking of the swing, and I do, often...Oscar REALLY loves his swing. I am gonna go with it for now because you know what, it works! He is almost instantly in a trance when I set him down. He usually looks to his left, but today he was really craning his neck. I'm not sure what he was looking at because the only thing in that direction is the doorjam/ceiling. All I can guess is that he liked the contrast between the green walls and the white trim. ISN'T THAT ADORABLE???


Baby stuff.

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A visit with Grandpa!

My dad stopped by for a little visit with Oscar yesterday. What a nice surprise! Oscar loved to sit with Grandpa and listen to his deep resonant voice when he sang. In fact a couple times Grandpa would stop singing to talk and Oscar protested! So back to singing it was :-) In this family, there will be a lot of singing in his future to be sure. I am glad he likes it!

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This just made my whole week!!!

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It's official...I am a mommy.

working on those smiles!

Oscar has now peed on me more times than I can remember, spit up right as we are about to leave the house and had his first poo diaper blowout (though mild, it did get on Jerry hehe). Our sleep is erratic at best but it is happening. Bath time has gone from OMG I hate you I hate you! to a nice melancholy, "what else can they do to me, SIGH"....so I'd say that is improvement :-)

The dreaded bath

We have started using cloth diapers all day and disposables at night and if we are out. So far it's been great and he actually cries less when I change a cloth diaper so I interperet that as a sign of his approval of the system. We haven't had too many breeches yet and the ones we did have I'll go ahead and attribute to user error.

Cloth diapers are comfy AND cute!

That's the tricky stuff. Not bad if you ask me! He is totally worth it and it's fun to watch him grow. Speaking of growth, he is totally out of newborn clothes and some 0-3 mos. Mostly just the sleepers with feet. He is getting pretty long and those suckers cramp his style! It all depends on the brand just like any other person trying to find clothes. Bummer! So far our favorites are zippered sleepers that open in front. He lives in those most of the time these days unless we are leaving the house. I never would have believed it but I am definitely reaching for what is easy over what is cute. Thankfully, we have found a few items that fit both descriptions so rest easy.

This Sunday was our first family outing to church! We came armed, Moby wrap, diaper bag, and extra clothes, but we hardly needed them! I slipped out during the sermon to feed him in the nursing mothers room where they had a speaker set up so I could still hear Tyler speak. It was so great to be there together as a family. And Tyler spoke on Philippians. More specifically, chapter 1, which includes what I now call my pregnancy verse as mentioned here! I started tearing up that even now, when Oscar was 5 weeks old and in church for the very first time, God reminded me that He is in control. What a blessing! It was really great to talk to so many of our friends and show off the baby (or rather the top of his head since he was in the sling all day). I've said it before, but I am SO grateful to have such a wonderful community of supportive moms in all different stages and walks of life. I don't know how people do this alone!

Germs beware of the Moby!

Oscar is really starting to respond to us as parents too. It has been really fun to realize that I am the one he wants a lot of the time. To see how my voice or Jerry's can calm him down or make him search the room with his eyes looking for us is really amazing. Sometimes it's overwhelming and I just want a break (those times usually come around 10pm) but overall, he is such an easy baby. I just have to be thankful! Yesterday was a snow day which gave Jerry the day off. He held Oscar in the sling for much of the time while I was able to do some errands and some reading. We just kept saying how amazing it is to be parents. And it just keeps getting better!

ps...here is a video of Oscar's tummy time yesterday. Not a whole lot going on yet, but if anyone wants to see him in action, here he is!

Tummy time!

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