We will be out of a town this weekend but this looks like a great event to celebrate WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK/MONTH!
Let me know if any of you are able to go! I would love to feature your experience on the blog.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Happy World Breastfeeding Week (and MONTH!)
Hey everyone!
Ryan and I have made the decision to introduce more privacy in our lives for the sake of protecting Estella so my monthly updates of her have come to a halt (although, I am still updating and writing in her personal journal on my own).
I want to utilize my blog in a different way now...more so to reach out to the large community of moms out there, foodies, and health fanatics (considering all those things describe me completely hehe).
August is a very special month and the first week as well! It’s WORLD BREASTFEEDING MONTH (today is the start of world breastfeeding week!). There are so many movements and projects out there to promote the support for breastfeeding (especially the ability to nurse in public without judgment), so I wanted to start my own.
I’ve reached out to moms that I know share the same passion and love for nursing their babies (of all ages) to join me in what I like to call “ MY BREASTFEEDING BUCKETLIST”.
For anyone that has spoken to me about breastfeeding or seen any pictures I’ve posted, I’ve talked about all the random places I’ve had to bust out the boob and cover to feed my screaming hungry baby. Places have ranged from walking around Woodfield (yes literally walking and nursing in the Ergo), random spots in Target, on the sidewalk in the middle of Chicago, Cubs game, on a moving tractor, downtown Chicago, in church, etc etc.
I will share my bucketlist with you, along with all the locations I've already completed and documented (with pictures!). The moms I've reached out to will be doing the same and may even share their breastfeeding story with you as well.
So this “awareness” project that I am sharing with all of you with some support from moms from all over, is really about awareness. If you are a mom who does not breastfeed, you are still an amazing mother. This isn’t about making you feel bad so if you are that mom right now reading this, please please please, don’t feel that way.
This is really about shedding light on the moms who choose to breastfeed...providing support for more successful journeys, providing tips or products that other moms have used that have worked, and shedding the notion that breastfeeding needs to be a private thing hidden away.
I don’t think being a bold breastfeeding mama has to be done without a nursing cover. I love breastfeeding with or without it, but this project is to open the world of possibilities for moms to breastfeed in general and in public with what makes that mom feel comfortable. Some moms don’t want or need a cover and some moms (who are a little more “blessed” haha), feel the need to use a cover to preserve their own personal modesty. Either way, they are still bold and badass!
So join me in this project! I will introduce you to fellow bold mamas who use their natural ability to bond with their children plus lots and lots of other research and stories to help you feel comfortable with breastfeeding.
If you would like to join this project, it’s not too late! I will be taking entries from mamas all month long.
To kick it off, it's only appropriate to join the craze with the new ROYAL BABY- Prince George!!
Not only is Kate Middleton showing off her actual post-baby body and inspiring women all over the world, but yes you guessed it! She is BREASTFEEDING and have been doing it successfully!
You can read more about it here: Baby Prince George
We will start off tomorrow with my bucket list and some pictures I've documented thus far. I hope you are all as excited as I am! :)
Thank you and much love to you all!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
my very very late 8 month update! Where did the time go?!
 |
| 35 weeks old :) |
Height/Weight
19 pounds (Gained 1.25 pounds in TWO months) = ~60-70th
percentile
Birth- 7 pounds 12 oz
29 inches (Gained 1.25 in TWO months) = 97th
percentile
Birth- 20 inches
18.5 inches (head circumference Gained 1/2 in TWO months) =
over 98th percentile (hehe)
Birth- 14 inches
 |
| 31 weeks 4/27/2013 |
Size:
She can still fit 9 month tops but we mainly dress her in
12 month or 12-18 months clothes. I think this is where she’ll be for a while
since her growth has finally started to slow down a bit.
 |
| 32 weeks- 5/5/2013 |
Favorites:
Food- BREASTMILK!
We have introduced “solid” foods. She’s had these foods in
some form or another: avocado, kale, beets, strawberries, banana, apples,
carrots, yellow squash, sweet
potato (probably her favorite), carrots, broccoli, wild blueberries, and
clementines. Majority of these were in her smoothie for the day that she loved
to drink out of her cup (without a sippy top) and the rest was steamed.
We’ve been giving her the food on her tray and waiting for
her to feed herself, but she prefers for us to give it to her in a spoon or for
her to “spoon feed” herself.
Overall, she is still very into BREASTMILK as her main
source of nutrients right now and
we are very happy about that. I know the “solid food” experience for her right
now is just...well an experience. She’s gradually getting more into it so we’ll
see.
 |
| 33 weeks 5/14/2013 |
Book- “Guess who?” and “Peek a –“ books
have been her favorite because they have little mirrors that she gets to look
at herself in. Super cute books and I would recommend it!
 |
| 34 weeks- 5/19/2013 |
Song- I have to say her favorite song is
the “Small potatoes” theme song! Apparently, any song her dad sings her is her
favorite because he incorporates her name into every song. She just smiles in
awe! If she’s upset or sad though, singing small potatoes is MONEY!
 |
| Play date with her friends Lauren and Ellasyn on 5/10/2013 |
Toy- Her favorite toys have to be her
magnetic ball toys. They are meant for pre-school age but she is so intrigued
by them and loves connecting the magnets. Pretty astounding! Grandma Dorough
brings her toys when we see her and it doesn’t matter what it is, she
automatically loves it.
Non-toy toy- EVERYTHING!!! Grabby hands!
She loves these Asian jello cups that I put in the freezer. She actually “army
crawls” for it!
 |
| Fun at Gymboree! She loves it! |
Time of day- If you can catch her in the
morning, that’s probably the best! She sleeps so well (most of the nights) and
when she wakes up, she is in the best mood! Although, she also loves when her
daddy comes home too.
TV show- Anything “Small potato” related. I
showed her Yo Gabba Gabba and she isn’t a fan.
Thing to giggle at- She loves playing peek-a-boo
and will actually cover her face up with the blanket herself! Peek a boo is a
big hit but lately any funny noise will make her belly laugh!
Firsts/Milestones:
- words? Yeah...our baby girl is
a babble queen! She has already said the following: ma, na, da, ba, la à and in various combinations. Here is a video of her
mimicking me say “Owwwieee”...Ok not an actual word but she’s very into
repeating things now!
 |
| Such a daddy's girl...she will scream dada all day long...and not once will she say mama. She use to though! :/ |
- Sitting is going so well! She now can go from a flat
tummy position into a full seated position. Amazing and strong core!
 |
| She had so much fun with her Gma Dorough when she came to visit! |
- Estella is still teething! I got a glance of her gums
and they are swollen with white bulges! Looks so painful! Our poor little baby!
But she’s dealing with it so well!
-Here are some videos of our past month (+/- a couple
weeks) to show you how much we’ve enjoyed our life with our baby girl:
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Seven months have flown!
 |
| Look at our big girl! She is officially a PRO at sitting! |
Height/Weight
(stats from her 6 month check up)
17.75 pounds (Gained 4.25 pounds in TWO months) = ~80th
percentile
Birth- 7 pounds 12 oz
27.75 inches (Gained 2.25 in TWO months) = 95th
percentile
Birth- 20 inches
18 inches (head circumference Gained 1 in TWO months) = over
98th percentile (hehe)
Birth- 14 inches
Size:
Still in 9-12 and some 12 months. I have a crib full of
clothes she can’t fit and the drawers are getting emptier and emptier...time to
hit up some resales for 12 month and up clothing! Wah wah wah!
Favorites:
Food- BREASTMILK!
I think people stopped asking us when we’re introducing
solids after realizing that her growth has been 100% from BMilk. However, after
paying attention to more and more of her cues, we think it may be time for her
to start “exploring”...that doesn’t necessarily mean she will actually EAT.
It’s really up to her.
This week is an exciting week. She will sit in her high
chair for the first time and we’ll put avocado on her tray and let her decide
what to do with it. The best part of this will be watching her figure out how
to feed herself!
Book- “Guess who?” and “Peek a –“ books
have been her favorite because they have little mirrors that she gets to look
at herself in. Super cute books and I would recommend it!
Song- I have to say her favorite song is
the “Small potatoes” theme song! Apparently, any song her dad sings her is her
favorite because he incorporates her name into every song. She just smiles in
awe!
Toy- Her favorite toys have to be her
magnetic ball toys. They are meant for pre-school age but she is so intrigued
by them and loves connecting the magnets. Pretty astounding!
Non-toy toy- EVERYTHING!!! Grabby hands!
Time of day- If you can catch her in the
morning, that’s probably the best! She sleeps so well (most of the nights) and
when she wakes up, she is in the best mood! Although, she also loves when her
daddy comes home too.
TV show- She loves “Small Potatoes” which
comes on Disney during the commercial breaks. However, now that she is so
fascinated by the plethora of toys and the fact that she is more mobile, she
doesn’t take as much of an interest in the TV now.
Thing to giggle at- She loves playing peek-a-boo
and will actually cover her face up with the blanket herself!
 |
| 3/29/13 - 27 weeks old |
Firsts/Milestones:
- words? Yeah...our baby girl is
a babble queen! She has already said the following: ma, na, da, ba, la à and in various combinations. Ryan got jealous that
she was saying MAMA so often so he got her to say DADA and she wouldn’t say
anything else for a whole week! She’s back to calling for us both which makes
me happy. She also says “Nigh Nigh” and fusses when she’s ready for a nap. Ryan
and I still wonder if we just give her a ton of credit or if she’s actually
doing it, and I really think she does! We have witnesses too!
- Sitting is going so well! She can sit by herself for
minutes at a time and when she begins to wobble, she catches herself. So sweet!
- Estella is still teething! I got a glance of her gums
and they are swollen with white bulges! Looks so painful! Our poor little baby!
But she’s dealing with it so well!
- Ryan and I came down with the “Stomach flu” (yuck!) and
we were crossing our fingers Estella wouldn’t get it...but she did! She had her
first fever and small bouts of vomiting/watery stools. But no worries, she’s on
the road to recovery and we have tons of laundry to show for it.
- Estella also had her first experience in preschool to
celebrate turning 7 months here:
- And even ran a school board meeting all by herself here
(haha):
We had a good weekend in Michigan (not a terrible drive
either except hitting traffic on the way home) and went to see her grandma
Dorough’s work place and get dibs on some awesome educational toys for her.
- Here is a video of more giggles- This is how Ryan plays
with her haha....she may look terrified at some points but she was really
having the time of her life. When he stopped she would yell for more!
- Oliver is getting more comfortable with her and she
loves him! Although she pulls a little too hard on his fur sometimes, she
really just wants to be his buddy even though he could care less right now.
Here is a video of her “playing” with him:
- First experience with something other than breast milk
was avocado this week- she wasn’t too impressed. Since we are doing “baby led
weaning”, we’ve noticed she has not actually eaten any significant amount just
yet but has become more and more interested as we have added breakfast and
dinner time to her daily routine.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Our baby is 6+ months!
 |
| 26 weeks old (6 months!) 3/23/13 My beautiful big girl! |
Height/Weight
17.75 pounds (Gained 4.25 pounds in TWO months) = ~80th
percentile
Birth- 7 pounds 12 oz
27.75 inches (Gained 2.25 in TWO months) = 95th
percentile
Birth- 20 inches
18 inches (head circumference Gained 1 in TWO months) = over
98th percentile (hehe)
Birth- 14 inches
 |
| 23 weeks (3/1/13)- off to a playdate with Ellasyn and Dr. Lou |
Size:
She is mainly in 9 mos to 9-12 mos clothing and has even
slipped into some 12 mos sizes. It is quite remarkable to see how much bigger
she has gotten in such a short amount of time...and I am proud to say it has
all been from breast milk 100%.
 |
| 24 weeks 3/9/13- Going resale shopping with mommy & Grandma Dorough |
Favorites:
Food- BREASTMILK!
The time is getting closer and closer for us to introduce
her first food. We’ve let her hold slices of apple or a piece of broccoli to
distract her so that we can eat but she hasn’t actually eaten anything yet.
We will be following a very strict diet with her and
utilizing the technique called “Baby led weaning” which makes it an experience
for all of us! It’s exciting but I am a bit nervous at the same time! I will be
sure to blog about that when the time comes.
Book- She actually loves she book her
daddy bought her for Valentine’s Day “Whooo loves you?!” but she loves any book
where she can flip through the pages. If she’s not into a book, she’ll flip
through it very quickly but if she likes staring at the pictures, she actually
takes her time. I’m really not joking. It’s phenomenal.
Song- I have to say her favorite song is
the “Small potatoes” theme song! It’s so sweet and cute.
Toy- We bought her a new toy- the puppy
Laugh & Learn! (got an awesome deal with some coupons!) She was very scared
of it at first but now she loves it!! She gets so proud of herself when she
pushes the buttons and starts the music or sounds herself. What a big girl! Her
grandma Dorough has brought her a couple toys that Estella is immediately drawn
to...she even figured out how to attach her magnetic toys!
Non-toy toy- She grabs for anything and
everything now! She loves to grab our cups! Beware! She will grab your coffee
cup and spill hot coffee all over you. And No...I have not spilled hot coffee
on my daughter but it’s perfectly ok that you just asked yourself that.
Time of day- She is really happiest when
Ryan gets home...during the day I am lucky if I can pee without having her
scream in the background. She is fine playing by herself but needs to have me
within her field of vision.
TV show- Oh my..she’s obsessed with the TV!
When she’s up from her nap, I turn music as background music while she plays so
that she doesn't turn into a TV zombie. Lately though, even if the TV is on,
she takes a lot more interest in her toys especially now that she’s a crazy
roller!
Thing to giggle at- Ryan has better luck at
making her giggle but I’ve been able to sneak a couple belly laughs in here and
there too! Such a sweet sound!
 |
| 25 weeks (3/16/13)- About to head out to her Auntie Crystal's birthday party @ Lucky Strikes. I love that little smile! |
Firsts/Milestones:
- words? Yeah...our baby girl is
a babble queen! She has already said the following: ma, na, da, ba, la à and in various combinations. She also says “mum”
quite often. When I ask her to say “mama” she just gives me a big smile like
she knows! Ryan has heard her say MAMA to me many times already though...I
think he’s a tad jealous hehe!
Here is a video that Ryan and I
think is cute (from yesterday):
- We practice “sitting” with her everyday and she’s
starting to become more confident although now her new thing is to do a
complete face plant because she prefers being on her tummy. She’s getting
really good at it.
 |
Getting the hang of sitting on her own slowly but surely! :)
|
- She is definitely very attached to Ryan and I...no
matter how often we take her out, expose her to other babies and people, etc
etc, our little girl prefers us (which makes complete sense) but definitely
makes it a tad more stressful since we don’t know what her mood will be like
everyday. We just aim to respond to her needs and stick to our belief that
there is no such thing as spoiling a baby...even when people like to make their
comments!
- Estella is still teething...and probably will for a very
long time! She started drooling a lot more, chewing on anything and everything,
and biting down on me which is no bueno!
- Estella is FINALLY consistently rolling and back
shuffling! She’s giving us a warning to start “baby proofing” soon! It is
remarkable to see but I will admit I did shed some tears seeing how much she’s
growing. Look at this video:
 |
3/8/13- First swim class with her daddy- she's so excited!
|
- Estella also started SWIM classes at the beginning of
March!! Here she with with her daddy on her first class. Yes she went
underwater and her “Swimming reflex” kicked in! She closed her eyes and held
her breath! It was quite amazing to witness.
 |
1st swim class with her daddy and she's doing great!
|
 |
3/15/13- second swim class in her yellow polka dot bikini courtesy of her Auntie Maria!
|
-We finally got a good amount of snow that brought my
husband home two days in a row early (yay!) and we got to take Estella out to
“play”! She didn’t mind it at all!
 |
Perfect little snow flakes for our snow angle! First time experiencing snow 3/5/13
|
-I spent the first longer period of time away from her
because I had a seminar. It was actually harder for me than her although she
didn’t take the bottle so she was a hungry beast by the time I got home. But
here she is as a little demo baby for my pediatrics seminar. She did a great
job!
 | ||
3/9/13- She came in to be the baby demo for my pediatrics seminar! She did great!
- My friend, Melissa had her baby the day before us in the
same hospital...well we both decided to throw the girls a HALF BIRTHDAY party!
Celebrating every 6 months is going to be a tradition for us because they
change so much and it gives us a reason to have cake haha
|
- I joined a local moms group and joined them for
Storytime @ Barnes & Noble where she met Clifford (she’s giving him the eye
haha) and where she got to participate in her first Easter Egg Hunt (doesn’t
she look like she’s having the time of her life?!). This is a huge thing for me
since I am going out of my comfort zone a lot...many people think I’m an
extrovert but it has just been a learned skill. “Being extrovert”. But whatever
I need to do to give my daughter the most fulfilled life experiences, I’ll do
it. Heck..nothing could be as hard as pushing her out drug free! (haha....which
I still remember by the way!! Eek!)
 |
Meeting Clifford for story time at Barnes-3/22/13- She's giving him the evil eye haha!
|
-We originally planned to spend Easter with my family but
had to cancel since some of my family members were ill...thank goodness we
didn’t go because more people got sick over the weekend too! We were so blessed
to spend it with our church here that we’ve fallen in love with...everyone has
been so welcoming and loving to us. It feels very nice to feel “right” with a
church. We’re both thinking about different ways we can get more plugged in
which is a big step for us.
 |
Easter Service with mommy & daddy (27 weeks) 3/31/13
|
Monday, February 25, 2013
5 month update with some mommy truths
 |
| 22 weeks old! Look at our little fashionista! |
Height/Weight- our next doctor’s appointment is when she’s
6 months old so here are the OLD stats from her 4-month visit. We are positive
she’s definitely gained some from this point!
4 month-HEIGHT AND
WEIGHT
25.5 inches (Gained 1.25 in ONE month) = 90th
percentile
Birth- 20 inches
17 inches (head circumference Gained 0.5 in ONE month) = 98th
percentile
Birth- 14 inches
13.5 pounds (Gained 2.5 pounds in ONE month) = ~50th
percentile
Birth- 7 pounds 12 oz
Size:
Well...it was pretty hard for me to think she was in 6 month
clothing, and now at 5 months, her toes are curled in her 6 months pajamas, her
pants are turning into capris, and 6-9 month is even getting too “short”. She’s
in between wearing 6-9/9 month clothing right now.
Favorites:
Food-
BREASTMILK! We haven’t introduced
any solids yet but she’s showing a lot of signs that she is definitely
intrigued by us eating and grabs for our cups/food EVERY time. We let her hold
a slice of an apple here and there
and she gets excited but just holds it. It’s great practice for her. However,
we don’t plan to actually start solids with her until at least 7-8 months...all
she needs right now is BREASTMILK.
 |
| 18 weeks :) |
Song- She loves
when I sing to her! It makes my heart smile. She has definitely taken more
interest in music in the past month. Her daddy sings the “Small potatoes” theme
song to her and she instantly calms down, stares in awe, and smiles!
 |
| 19 weeks |
Non-toy toy- She
grabs for anything and everything now! She loves to grab our cups!
Time of day- she
is happiest when her daddy gets home at 7p! She’s alert and ready to hang out
with him. Worse time of the day is around 8:30pm, which is her bedtime! She has
been fighting sleep and gets super crabby.
 |
| 20 weeks |
Thing to giggle at-
Her daddy can make her “giggle” like no other person! We finally got the REAL
giggle!
Look at the video
here:
Firsts/Milestones:
- We still aim to give her lots of tummy time since we want
her to learn to crawl before standing/walking so we do little exercises with
her to help her learn to move her legs while she’s reaching her arms out.
-Look at this video of
her in a jumperoo:
This is actually her cousin Xander’s toy that we bought for
him when he was her age so it’s funny because we’re getting it right back! Hehe
But she LOVES loves LOVES it. We give her limited time in there...she has tons
of fun in it.
 |
| On Valentine's Day- She's a pro now! :) |
- The separation anxiety has officially set in! She knows
who she knows and definitely knows whom she doesn’t! As long as she sees our
face, she usually is ok but sometimes that’s not enough! It’s been a bit
stressful when we have visitors over that just want to play with her or hold
her and she just screams...sometimes I wonder if there is anything we are doing
wrong...but I realize that her personality is just that. She needs to be eased
into unknown situations, loud noises or abrupt movements really shake her up,
and she just feels more comfortable with her mom and dad. I hope this eases up
as she gets older but for right now, we just try to respond to what she needs
and hopes she will start to feel “safe” with our friends and family.
- And unfortunately or fortunately...she has started
TEETHING. Drooling, rosy cheeks, grinding on her gums which makes her normal
babbling sound pretty interesting and cute, irritating stools, diaper rash
(ehh!), and screaming! Oh and let’s not forget to mention- she is super clingy
and a very very very bad sleeper now (at night). Mama is EXHAUSTED.
-We had a Bradley Birth Class reunion (see picture). Ryan
and I met a couple (The Dixons) that we still keep in touch with after our
classes and it’s been great to have support from them! This was only a third of
the class that had time to get together. It was fun meeting all the new babies!
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