OH MY GOODNESS!

I haven't updated in months and I'm pretty sure I have a LOT to write about so here goes!

3 MONTHS : 13 lbs 2 oz
At 3 months Natalie got sick and I had to make an appointment with at her Drs office. She was super congested and you could tell she was having a hard time breathing. At the doctors appointment she got tested for RSV & it came out negative, but her PA said that she wasn't convinced so she got treated as if she had it. She got a breathing treatment that day and they gave me everything so I could give her breathing treatments at home. She also had an ear infection but both cleared up after her medicines.

4 MONTHS : 13 lbs 9 oz, 24.5 in long, 41 cm head circumference
On April 20th, Seth's Nana took us to the OKC Zoo. I decided to wear her in the Moby wrap and it was so awesome! No stroller to push around or leave while we went on the tram. We got there and took the tram around and saw the new exhibit for the elephants. Natalie was so interested in everything she was wore out and asleep by the time we got off and walked to the children's area.

I have a few GREAT videos of Natalie laughing (youtube.com/alimama10) and I will just tell you this: there is nothing better than hearing your BABY giggle! And after I get caught up with this I may catch up on my youtube account because I have a lot of videos!

MOBILITY!
On April 8th, Natalie rolled over for the first time. For a good 2-3 weeks she only rolled over from her back to her belly. At first, she didn't like being on her belly at all so she cried until I flipped her over, but with time, she has grown to love her tummy time. Today I put her down while I was sitting in the recliner and she rolled (continuously, like when you roll down a hill!) to the other side of the living room and reached for the extension cord I use for the humidifier. I know they say that you should baby proof while you're pregnant so it doesn't catch up with you but holy smokes! She's on the move!

EATING HABITS!
So, starting solid food is a BIG step for baby and I hadn't planned on starting anything until AT LEAST 6 months or well after, if she was still content with breast milk. Well, the same week as her 4 month well check I noticed how interested in food Natalie had become. At the Festival of the Arts, I had a chicken sandwich and she was reaching for it and grabbed the lettuce off. She hadn't even reached for something (like toys!) like that so when she started reaching for my food all the time I was like HOLD UP. She watches me eat my lunch all the time. I lay her on the floor with a toy and she will just bend back and stare at me while I eat. Last week I had spaghetti and she was totally jealous, I could tell! So, I took a few of the clues she gave me and thought about it. I don't know if this is a good reason, but since she didn't gain very much weight between 3 and 4 months and was really acting like she wanted real food I decided I would start a little earlier.

I am really excited about being a Mommy (obviously) and I am trying to make the best decisions so I can have the healthiest, happiest little girl; in order for that to happen, I know I need to start her out right by introducing her to the right types of foods. I have also decided to attempt making her baby foods so they can be as nutritious as possible. On May 8th, Mother's Day, Natalie had her first 'serving' of solid food. I had done a lot of reading about it and asked some of the Mommies I know and I decided to give her fresh avocado. It was Sunday, and Mother's Day, so we were at my parent's house-- she doesn't have a high chair yet anyway but we just used the Bumbo seat with the tray on it. For avocado, all you have to do is slice it in half, pull out the pit and extract and mash up the pulp with a fork. It was way too easy! I also have a video of her eating her first bites, but it's not on youtube yet. (Don't worry, it will be!) It was amazing though, I was a little anxious about it since I wasn't planning on starting so early but she didn't even hesitate. It was like she knew EXACTLY what to do. She opened her mouth right up and moved it to the back of her mouth fine, it wasn't even very messy. Anyway, that was the first thing she ate and I gave it to her Sun-Wednesday to give her a break in between new foods, so I can see how she reacts to them.

This week she had applesauce. I know you can make applesauce but I had picked some up from the grocery store for these muffins I have a recipe for. It's natural applesauce, and I looked at the ingredients: apples, water, ascorbic acid (vitamin c). I figured, it can't get much more natural than that. FYI: My mom questioned me about it, thinking about sugar content and about the acidity of the applesauce, so I double checked myself to make sure it was on the list of good starter foods, and not only was it on the list but I found something that said a lot of Pediatricians recommend 'adult' applesauce, rather than the baby food, because in some brands (and I haven't even looked at bottled babyfood, so I wouldn't know for sure) they add more sugar and it is a lot less textured than 'adult' applesauce.

Tomorrow I'm going to get some groceries, including some sweet potatoes so I can steam them up to start them for Sunday. I HAVE actually pureed sweet potatoes for my meals and have some in the freezer but I want them to be fresh. I will probably have to pick up an ice tray as well to put the puree in! :D
She has LOVED both the avocado and applesauce so we will see how the sweet potatoes go!

DIAPERING!
If you keep up with this blog you might have read that I am cloth diapering. Natalie has been in cloth since 8 days old and has not been in a disposable since, NOT ONCE. It is really going great! It took a little while to get my mom on board, but once she got the hang of it it really wasn't a problem. There are a few different types of cloth diapers and so far, I have stuck to prefolds and covers (BEST CD website: http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/) but have a few All-In-Ones as well. In addition to cloth diapers, I have also been using cloth wipes. It makes sense, but a lot of people who use cloth diapers still use store-bought wipes. Here's something you may not know if you haven't had a baby, and I'm not sure about all hospitals but I know mine isn't the only one. They give you wipes, but they aren't like the ones you buy at the store; they are just disposable dry wipes that you wet in the sink before you change the diaper. They don't use store-bought wipes for one of the same reasons people choose to use cloth diapers: CHEMICALS! Water (and a cloth) is really the only thing needed to clean baby's bottom-- so that's what I use. I got a bunch of super thin "washrags" at my baby shower (Burlington Coat Factory, I think) and those are what I use for wipes now. I just spray Natalie's bottom with water from a water bottle and wipe! I realize not all babys will like being sprayed on the bum with cold (eh, room temp) water but Natalie has never cared so it works for us! There are other ways to do it though.

Enough about that! Let's get to the good stuff! --If you don't particularly want to know about bowel movements and diaper spraying STOP READING HERE.
So, after I started Natalie on her avocados, on SUNDAY, she didn't poop until WEDNESDAY night. She is primarily breastfed and had typically been pooping 2-3 times a day. Then, she didn't for 3 days-- so that is something to look out for. It doesn't hurt to mention that the types of food obviously has something to do with it and this week, with applesauce she pooped the same day she started them-- and every day since.

With cloth, for exclusively breastfed babies there is no need to dunk or spray poopy diapers or anything. I know it's hard for some people to grasp, but with breast milk, there isn't much of anything left after it is digested so the poop is NOTHING compared to formula/solid food. WELL, since I started Natalie on solids I had to start spraying her diapers. There are a few companies that make diaper sprayers that use the water supply line from the toilet so that you just spray the poop into the toilet. They usually run about $40 if you buy one from a diaper company. While I was deciding which one to buy, I ran across this DIY tutorial on how to make a diaper sprayer from parts from the hardware store for around $20. I thought I'd give it a try and I will tell you -- DON'T. I thought it would be alright to save $20 bucks, but unless there is a plumber in your family that know EXACTLY what you need (and I can think of one person that may read this that does), it's probably not worth it. I think I actually spent around $34 once I FINALLY got it together, but it took me a total of 7 trips to Lowe's, Home Depot & Ace and a week and a half until I had it working. So, if I was making that decision again I think I would just buy the Bum Genius diaper sprayer. It's a learning experience!


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