April 2005 Archives

Calming baby:
1. Baby loves to be swaddled
2. Use large swaddling clothes 40x40 inches
3. Babies like to be warm and well fed
4. Pacifiers are good things, don't worry about them.

Remedies:
1. Cornstarch is great for diaper rash. Clears it right up.
2. Put Neosporin on all the cuts and they heal very fast.
3. Almond oil is great for eczema and hydrocortizone too
4. Selsun Blue is very good for bad cases of cradle cap
5. Almond oil is good for mild cases of cradle cap
6. Give the baby tylenol 30 minutes before getting vaccinations, have it handy for later

Laundry:
1. put a clothing hamper next to the changing table instead of throwing the clothes on the floor and then wash all of babies clothes separately.
2. Seventh Generation laundry detergent is just as good as Dreft and costs a lot less.
3. Put little socks into a mesh bag before laundering them. They don't get lost.
4. The dog will try to eat dirty baby clothes and diapers, then hide under the bed with a stomach full of cotton.

Breast feeding:
1. Breast milk will stain your clothes
2. Buy a good breast pump, don't skimp on it. You can borrow one too.

Clothing:
1. Outgrown socks make great mittens
2. Diaper covers can be found in baby consignment shops and they are just as good.
3. Instead of buying nursing shirts, just get button-up shirts and baggy T-shirts

Hygiene/diapers:
1. Clip baby's nails while you are nursing him. Have your husband do it.
2. Clip nails often to avoid deep scratches
3. Babies only need a bath twice a week unless they have really messy diapers
4. Drink lots of water and you'll have lots of milk
5. Put disposable diapers on baby at night and he'll sleep longer, better yet use a cloth diaper liner.
6. Buy old diaper rags from the diaper service to use for around the house. They are great for mopping the floor and very absorbent.

Safety:
1. Buy the car seat new.
2. Use a car seat when flying and pay for the extra ticket.
3. Don't over medicate, baby's organs are delicate and can be easily damaged.
4. Always load your car first, then put the baby in just before you get in. Do not leave the baby in the car unattended.
5. Don't put the car seat on top of the grocery cart. Either shop with a partner or put
the groceries around the car seat. It falls off!
6. Place everything within arms reach of the changing table and use the safety belt.


Ways to recycle and reduce waste:
1. Borrow, borrow, borrow or just ask if you can have things. People will gladly give you things.
2 Use small flannel washclothes to clean baby with wet diapers and then wash them
3 Save the baby wipes for the messy diapers
4 Use a cloth diaper service
5 Put half of the gift towels and blankets away and use them when the others wear out
6 Buy crib bedding in a consignment store. It's never in bad shape.
7 Buy toys second hand and wash them
8 Borrow toys or clothing items

Teething:
1. Baby teeth may come in early, like four months.
2. Many teeth may come in at once.
3. Tylenol is your friend, ask you doctor for the right dosage.
4. These things help relieve the teething pain:
rubbing the gums
teething gel
ice water in a sippy cup
ice cube tied in a wash cloth
Tylenol (the best thing)
Homeopathic teething tablets, but they are not regulated by the FDA.

Ways to save your sanity:
1. When you can't figure out why baby is crying, it's not your fault. They're tired.
2. Take your shower and get dresssed before you husband leaves for work, or you'll be in your pajamas at 2:30 p.m. waiting for baby to sleep to catch a shower.
3. Cook twice as much food for your favorite meals and then freeze half of it for a meal later in the week.
4. Don't weigh yourself until six weeks after the baby is born
5. Breast feeding helps you lose the weight. I gained 28 pounds during the pregnancy and I've lost 41 pounds so far!
6. Don't try to do too much in a day. You'll stress yourself out. Make a list and get things done as you can.
7. Hire housekeeping services once a month to clean the bathrooms or trade with a friend.
8. Try to go to bed before 11:00 pm that way you'll actually be in bed at 11:00 p.m.
9. Find a walking partner and walk as much as possible, it clears the mind.
10. Plan for events well in advance, ie, Christmas. Gather gifts throughout the year and put them into a Christmas gift bin. Or, shop online and mail everything. Or, send nice handmade gift. I always do photo related items.
11. Take a cue from the baby. Don't rush the baby because you are in a hurry. The first three months is the hardest. It gets easier after that and then you can start doing more. Remember, your "job" is to take care of your baby and it's what's best for him and you.
12. Find another mom in your neighborhood to do things with. I was lucky to have a neighbor whose baby is three months younger than Finnegan. We take walks together, yoga
classes and go to Starbucks. It's a great stress breaker to have someone else to commiserate with.
13. Exercise will make you feel better.
14. Sometimes your mom does know a thing or two about babies. Listen to her suggestions, they may be helpful.

If you like Peanut Butter, you'll like this cake which is easy and mixes up in a jiffy.
Enjoy!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 30-35 minutes

1 Cup all purpose flour
1 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 Cup milk
2 Tbsp shortening
1/4 Cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bow and add 1/4 tsp salt.
Add milk, shortening and vanilla.
Beat for two minutes on medium speed.
Add egg and mix for another two minutes.
Pour into greased and floured 9x1 1/2" round baking pan.
Bake longer or until inserted fork comes out clean.

Butter Frosting:

1/3 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 Cup Milk
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

In a bowl beat peanut butter and gradually add half of the powdered sugar. Slowly beat in milk and vanilla, slowly add the remaining sugar. Add more milk if needed to make of spreading consistency. Frosts two 9" round cakes.

For Dairy Free use the following substitution: 2 tsps melted butter and 1 Cup water mix and then add 3/4 cup to your mix and the remaining 1/4 cup for the frosting.

Have I mentioned that Finnegan is teething? Probably. Well, it all
began when I noticed a tooth on March 6th and since then there are five
more teeth coming in and Finnegan has some good days and some terrible
days. Today was one of the terrible days.

The morning started it fairly well until I had to change a very messy
diaper and then it was bath time which is also crying time. I just
don't have the same finesse that Doug has and my bathing technique is
more akin to torture as far as Finnegan is concerned and it his
screaming just stresses me out. However, after the bath I gave him a
massage and all was forgiven and Finnegan fell asleep. He looked so
beautiful that I put him in a basket and put some rabbit ears on him to
take the "My First Easter photo." I got my photos just in time for him
to wake up and figure out what I was up to.

Around 2:00 p.m. Finnegan's teeth were bothering him to the point of
constant crying and all the usual remedies just didn't work; tylenol,
ice cube in dish cloth, teething gel, ice water, rubbing of gums and
dancing. Finally, after nursing he fell asleep for about 30 minutes.
Maybe all of the above finally kicked in and did the trick? Not sure,
but it worked.

While he was asleep I tried to get some baking done and managed to mix
the batter for banana bread and my new favorite cake, chocolate peanut
butter cake. Yum! I was alerted to his waking with the sound of his
fire engine siren wake up call. You can imagine. And I was off to feed
and diaper him. It didn't work. He kept swatting at his face and I
knew he was in pain. I tried all the usual things all over again,
except tylenol and nothing worked. So, I put him in the baby bjorn
(carrier) and wore him around the house for a while.
He didn't like that either. He was in pain.

This scenario was repeated many times throughout the day and by 6:30 I
was really tired and beginning to wear down due to the crying and
fussing. I know it's not my fault, but it's hard to hear a baby cry
for a long time. I was hoping that Doug would be home soon, but he
told me it would be a late night. I had to hold on a little longer.

I ate some leftovers and then tried to watch the news, but Finnegan
wouldn't sit still or stop crying. I tried to put him to sleep, but he
wouldn't sleep. We went through the same drill; diaper change,
nursing, rub the gums, teething gel, dancing, ice water, ice cube.
Nothing! Then I found a bite on the back of his head and applied some
hydrocortizone to stop the itch and that seemed to kick in after 20
minutes. Okay, 7:30 p.m., Doug wouldn't be home for a while so, it was
time for drastic measures. Maybe he was ready to sleep.

We laid down at 7:45 for a nap and after nursing for about 15 minutes
Finn drifted off to sleep and so did I.
9:45 the phone woke me up and it was Doug, he'd be home soon. Finally!

Finnegan roused from his nap and wanted to eat and then Doug arrived
just in time to change Finn's diaper and play with him for a little
bit. Refreshed from his nap, Finnegan was sweetness and light with
Doug and I was just exhausted. It wasn't fair. I had to take care of
Finnegan for 12.5 hours of difficulty and then he's the easy baby with
Doug. Just figures. And then he went straight to bed, easy as pie.

Doug wasn't hungry and so I ate my dinner by myself, entered all of
Finn's information into the babytracker and I sat in silence while Doug
watched the Simpsons. Funny how it really irritated me. I checked my
email and then Finn woke up and needed feeding. When I walked down the
stairs with him in my arms I accidentally bumped his head on the
handrail and he didn't even cry, but Doug must have thought I did it on
purpose because he scolded me about it. I'm sorry, but it was dark and
I was wobbly on my feet. Anyway, Finn ate heartily and went to sleep.

The past four weeks have been the hardest for me because it's hard to
treat the pain and irritation of teething. It's a delicate balance to
maintain between over medicating and letting nature take it's course.
Another contributing factor is that Doug is working really long hours.
The first week of teething Doug was out of town. The second week he
was back home, but working really long hours catching up at work and
preparing for his computer class that he teaches for the University of
Washington. Last week, Doug had the flu and I banished him to the
guest bedroom and made him wear a surgical mask and did not allow him
to touch Finnegan because I didn't want him to get sick. It worked.
Finn and I caught a mild cold due to a cold walk around Green Lake last
Tuesday, but we did not get Doug's bad flu. This week, Doug has been
putting in some really long hours and I'm having a hard time getting
through the long days because I feel like I need a vacation. I live
for the weekends when Doug can take over for a few hours and give me
some breathing room.

Most husbands don't know what it's like for us moms at the end of the
day. We start watching the clock when you are supposed to be leaving
work, which is about an hour before the normal arrival time. When you
aren't home at the regular time we wait. Thirty minutes goes by, 45
minutes, an hour and then our reserves start to wane especially with a
sick or teething child to take care of.

For me, I can go the extra hour or two, but 12 hours is long for
anyone. I've heard husbands say that they work hard at work too. This
is true, but they can walk away from their frustrating project or
irritating co-workers, whereas a mother cannot abandon her child. And
the sound of a crying baby is like a bleeting sheep calling for his
mother for comfort and consolation.

Here it is 1:47 a.m. I've been on mommy patrol for 18 hours since 8:00
a.m. yesterday and I've got about 15 more minutes before "I lay me down
to sleep." I hope that most people reading this entry don't get the
impression that I'm complaining, I'm not really. It's just hard to
tell it like it is without sounding like a winer.

At the end of this day, Finnegan is asleep, the house is clean (fairly)
and Doug is resting too. I've been able to vent my frustrations with a
journal entry and I feel much better. Knowing that no two days are
alike, sleep is calling me with the hopeful thought that Finnegan's
teething will be easier after a good night's rest.