Weekend Review

Another relaxing weekend . . . Is this phrase becoming monotonous?!??  It’s difficult to have activity-packed weekends when we have to break for feedings every few hours.  Yes, Isla is still stubbornly refusing a bottle.  However, we are making some progress.  My research suggested that babies are sometimes more receptive to the softer, brown-latex nipples, and she definitely is.  Lack of screaming when it hits her lips equals significant improvement over the clear silicone nipples.  She even sucked on it a couple times, however, always ends up choking.  So, we still have  a long way to go . . .

We did make it out to meet up with the Queen City Cats—a facebook group of Kentucky fans in Charlotte who congregate for the games.  Compiling gifts from a few different people, Isla wore what must be the cutest baby Wildcat outfit in existence (of course, she was being camera-shy again):

A special thanks to David Duke for the UK onesie, Aunt Becky for the adorable polka-dot jacket from Australia, and Nancy Jo for the jeggings which have been the BIGGEST hit among all our fashion-forward friends.

I know you all love pictures, so here are a few more:

And here’s a clip of tummy time (a.k.a. licking blanket time):

Eating My Words …

For the entire portion of my life ever since I began to consider my taste in vehicles, I have adamantly stated that I would never, ever, under no circumstances whatsoever own a minivan.  Today, I retract those words as gracefully as possible.

We HAD to get a new car.  The Ford F-350 that Alex drove may possibly be the least parent-friendly vehicle available.  Getting the carseat snapped in required a three step process:  (1) Set carseat on seat, (2) Stand on running board, and (3) Toss seat as far as possible, hoping that it lands correctly and snaps into base.  Additionally, we had to rent a vehicle in order to travel with both the baby and the dogs, and we are planning another trip to Kentucky at the end of February (Yay!)  So, it made since to bite the bullet now before spending the cash to rent again.

We went to the Honda dealership on Thursday evening, thoroughly expecting to leave with a Pilot.  But after inspecting it in person, it just wasn’t going to be large enough for all our travels, especially if we have another child anytime in the near future.  After I stated this thought, the salesmen asked me the dreaded question—“Have you considered a minivan?”

The truth was I had.  In the back of my mind, I knew it fit every one of my requirements—big enough for a couple of carseats and dogs, fits in garage, high-safety rating—every requirement except that it not be a minivan for vanity’s sake.  But who am I fooling?  As a stay-at-home mom who lives in the suburbs, I should drive a mini-van.  And now, after only a weekend, I do with no regrets …

At First Hand

Isla discovered her hands last Saturday and has been playing with them all week.  She spends quite a bit of time staring at them while clenching and opening her little fists.  I even caught her holding a toy but don’t think it was intentional.  Here’s a long video of what we call her scary, monster hands:

Look Who’s Talking

We had no idea that babies start trying to talk so early.  Isla first started cooing around a month ago, but now babbles almost any anytime we talk to her.  Her favorite “word” is Ahhh-ewwww.  She even tries to engage Mr. Frog who hangs from her carseat handle.  Here’s a short clip (Sorry it’s sideways—I haven’t figured out how to fix this yet):

Monday Morning Update

Yet another relaxing weekend in the Nolan household . . . There is a bug going around Charlotte, and many of our friends were ill or just recovering, so there wasn’t much going on this weekend.  The highlight was a Saturday night outing to church.  Isla had to be six weeks old to be admitted to the nursery, and she just made the cutoff.  I was impressed with the security measures they have in place—a barcode sticker goes on her, one on her bag, and we get a key fob.  They also do background checks on all the volunteers, and do not allow men to change diapers.

People told me to have Alex drop her off so that I wouldn’t get upset, but it didn’t phase me in the least to leave her 100 feet from where I was sitting.  Plus, I think it’s good for her to get comfortable with someone else caring for her besides Alex or me.  I don’t think Isla minded one bit—the nursery volunteer asked to keep her when we picked her up.

Here’s a pic from just before we left.  She wasn’t up for smiling or anything otherwise cute.

Snow, Snow, Go Away

I am very excited to see the sun out today.  Hopefully, it’s melting the last of the snow and ice that had Alex stranded in Orlando and Isla and I cooped up all week.  I thought we moved south!?!!  But these past two winters have been the worst of anyone’s memory in Charlotte.  Awesome.  At least the 50’s are on the way . . .

P-P-P-Poker Face

After another relaxing night last Friday, Alex and I both had a bit of cabin fever.  So on Saturday, we decided that we each needed an opportunity to get out of the house.  He spent the afternoon watching the worst day of sports ever (University of Kentucky losses in football and basketball!?!!) and playing cards with the boys, while I watched Isla.  Later that evening, I dropped her off with him, so that I could attend a birthday party.

Yes, I left my 5-week-old in the hands of seven boys and surrounded by barbeque, poker chips, and bottles of bourbon.  Don’t judge!  Alex wasn’t drinking, and she was well taken care of.  One of the other boys even held her the majority of the night.  Plus, I was only absent for about an hour.  Since she isn’t interested in a bottle yet, I have to be on call for feeding every three hours--something we need to remedy quickly.

I also learned my lesson to carry my camera with me everywhere!  I wish I could include a picture of her sitting at the poker table, but instead here is one from earlier that evening:

Living Up to Her (Nick)name

“Big Gurl” is Alex’s nickname for Isla, and she is living up to it.  Today, we had her one-month well check-up at the pediatrician’s.  She was over 90th percentile in all categories!

Weight:  10 lbs. 9.2 oz (90th percentile)

Length:  23 in. (off the charts)

Head:  15.5 in. (90th percentile)

Do designers make tall sizes for kids???

(And yes, we realize the nickname could give her a complex one day, and plan to adjust it accordingly when she becomes aware of it.)

Welcome, Nolan Edward

Alex's sister had a baby boy yesterday evening.  Mom and baby are doing well.  We are so excited to meet him on our next trip to Louisville in February.

Happy One Month, Miss Isla!

Today marks the end of Isla’s first month in the world.  She has already experienced quite a bit:  her first Christmas, a road trip to Kentucky, and next on the list—going bald?!??  Alex noticed last night that some of her dark hair which has grown quite long now seems to be falling out.  It will be interesting to see if it all goes, or if it will just be the bit that was on her forehead (which was weird to begin with.)  Keep tuned . . . And so much for all the adorable bows she received at Christmas!

Adventures in Baby Diapering

So, I know everyone is expecting to hear that my experience with cloth diapers was a massive failure, but a couple days in and one load of laundry later, I think that I will be able to stick with it.

Don't let anyone fool you into thinking that cloth diapers can be as easy as disposables--They're not.  And they definitely require more time.  However, it probably adds up to only a minute or two extra per diaper change.

Here's the process for you curious souls:  I use Bum Genius 4.0 diapers with snap closures.  These require me to stuff an insert inside--either a small daytime insert or a thicker one for nighttime.  Wet diapers go straight into the diaper pail.  Dirty diapers are sprayed off with our Potty Pail Diaper Sprayer and then put into the pail.  I wash them every other day, tossing the entire Planet Wise Pail Liner into the washing machine.  So, besides spraying,  the dirty cloth diapers don’t have to be handled anymore than disposables do.  I also make my own cloth wet wipes with Baby Bum Drops solution (which smells amazing) and put them in a wipes warmer.  The wipes are washed with the diapers.

The Bum Genius cloth diapers fit the baby similarly to a disposable except that they are still quite big on little Isla, which I suppose is a good thing since we are hoping she can wear them for over a year.  They are adjustable in both the rise and waist, and supposedly fit a baby from 8-35 lbs.  However, I found that they were entirely too big until Isla was closer to 10 lbs.
The upfront costs of these diapers is high, but the overall expenditure will be less than disposables, especially when using the diapers on multiple children.  Because of the extra effort required, I wouldn’t recommend these diapers to everyone, but since I'm staying at home for now, I have the extra time to save a few bucks using these diapers.  Not to mention that they are so darn cute!