1st year reflections

Orion recently turned one year old.  I cannot believe how fast the first year flew by!  I would like to take some time to reflect on his first year on earth.

I am very proud that I have been able to breast feed without issues.  Yes there has been some biting and soreness but I know I have given my baby the very best food.  I love looking down at his happy face while he is sucking down the good stuff and seeing my milk pool in the corners of his mouth. 

I am proud that we have made all of Orion’s food and it really wasn’t that hard and did not require special kitchen gadgets.  We did not make his rice cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, or organic cereal puffs but everything else.  I wish we could grow a banana tree in our backyard because he eats one a day! 

We did not sleep train but he sleeps great!  I am very lucky that I have been home because he used to wake up a few times at night.  Sleep exhaustion really sucks but it will pass.  Then when you get used to a full night’s sleep, it will all go out the window but sleep will return! 

Take Pictures!  I felt like I was taking a million photos those first few months but when I actually uploaded them and looked at them, they were all pretty bad.  I also regret not getting the baby photo in the hospital.  We also missed out on a few fun photo opportunities like laying out Dad’s suit or work clothes on the bed then laying baby under the clothes so it looks like baby is wearing the outfit.  This is impossible to do once babies are mobile.

Work on the baby book as you go along as it will be easier to manage instead of sorting through a year’s worth of photos.  I take a lot of pictures and am pretty good at uploading them and printing them out.  You do not need to make a fancy scrapbook but having photos you can touch, frame, and show off without an electrical device is a wonderful thing.

I am amazed by how much my baby makes me laugh and smile.  We are pretty laid back people and I think that has, thankfully, rubbed off on my baby.  When I get frustrated or am so exhausted, he will usually do something to make me laugh as if he knows what I need.

I really did not know that I had such capacity for love.  How could I love someone so much who deprives me of sleep, is very selfish and demanding and pees, poops, and vomits on me?  It helps that he is so friggin' cute!

I knew my husband would be a great father but I had my doubts on being any good at motherhood.  I also felt lost without my mother and more so when my dad passed away when Orion was just 6 weeks old.  I really love being Orion's mom and think the 3 of us make a great team.  Outsides sources have even confirmed that I am doing a good job but only time will tell.

I am not a baby mind reader but I do know what my baby needs without sign language.  How do I know?  I just know.  Babies do not have a lot of needs.  Wet diaper, hungry, sleepy, or they just want to snuggle, those are really the big needs for the first year.  If nothing I do seems to work, I usually blame gas or teething.  If the fussing won't stop, I will just walk outside.  For whatever reason being outside seems to have a calming effect, as does music.

I did not expect to be more emotional after the baby than when I was pregnant.  If I see anything about moms, babies, or pregnancy I usually get choked up.  I was never that chick flick type of girl but I think my insides have been replaced with pink marshmallow fluff.

I learned newborn clothes and 0-3 months are way different a little too late in the game. Newborn (NB) size is good for 5-8 pounds or so.  All the 0-3 month clothing just hung off Orion until he was about a month or so old.

Babies will grind their teeth and it will sound horrible but it is perfectly normal.  This happened when Orion was over 11 months old.  He was just seeing what his body can do and thankfully it did not last long.

Babies will shake their heads and it is perfectly normal.  It is not a muscle spam or tic, they are just learning there body and have an immature nervous system.

One big bonus of breastfeeding is that breastfed babies poop less.  This is great but totally freaks you out when you are not expecting it.  We called our pediatrician frantically around 6 weeks because Orion had not pooped in days.  We were told this was normal but if he goes for 10 days to call back.

There were some things that I did not know about being pregnant and the first year that I had to learn “on the job”.  This might get a bit graphic.

You are actually pregnant for 10 months, not 9.  You are pregnant for 40 weeks but could have the baby anywhere between 38-42 weeks.  Of course some pregnancies are shorter, some are longer.

Eat before you go into the hospital!  I was scheduled for an induction and that day they kept pushing up the time.  Originally, I was to go into the hospital around 10:30 pm, after a few calls, they wanted me in at 6 pm.  I forgot to eat and didn't know dinner would not be served.  I wasn't able to eat for over 36 hours but it felt like a week!  After having a Cesarean, you are not allowed to eat until you fart.   

After you have your baby, you will be bleeding for days even weeks.  You will be changing the baby’s diaper as well as your own.  You cannot use tampons during this period and I found long, thin, super absorbency pads to work the best as you have to change them frequently.

During pregnancy, I did not know I would be leaving snail trails in my underwear.  Yeah, no one tells you that shit.

There is a bloody show which is different from your water breaking.  Your body has made a mucus plug (which has been streaking those panties) which may or may not fall out before your water breaks.  Turns out, fewer than 15% of women will have their water break naturally.  It isn’t like the movies with a big splash and a mad dash to the hospital. 

I am sure I will come up with a few other things.  Every time I publish a post I think of a few things that I forgot or should have mentioned.  I will try to remember to mention them as they come up.  I do hope the above things help and do not scare you off of pregnancy!  Having Orion is defiantly the best thing I have ever done!  I wonder what we ever did without him.

Orion Turns 1!

I started thinking about Orion’s 1st birthday party about 5 month before his actual birthday. Seeing what some people do to celebrate the 1st birthday is a bit overwhelming. I wanted to celebrate but I did not want to go overboard. When I was in college living in South Philadelphia, I was napping on the couch and was woken up by Backstreet Boys blasting. Someone was having a 1st birthday block party. I know some people have huge lavish parties with gift bags and bouncy castles but that is not our style. I wanted something low key and I am just not that crafty. Please know I am not dissing how anyone wants to celebrate a first birthday. Growing up our birthday party was fun and simple. We always had a piñata, family, friends, food, and my mom made a pound cake with chocolate frosting. I don’t remember there being themes but I did ask for a boy/girl dance party when I was turning 9. When did it become mandatory for children’s birthday parties to have a theme? Isn’t birthday a theme? I saw some great theme suggestions online but then started to get so overwhelmed I had to walk away.

In the end, decided on a Muppet theme because I love the Muppets and this might be my only chance to pick a theme. I am sure he will have opinions of his own come his 2nd birthday. I am very lucky that my husband had off from work for 2 weeks before Orion’s birthday because he was switching jobs. I doubt we would have been able to get everything done without my husband home cooking and cleaning. There were still things we forgot to do and forgot to put out for our guests. I am sorry they missed out on the Strawberry open face pie but it did not go to waste!

Since The Muppets new movie, I was hoping for a slew of new merchandise but had a hard time finding anything. It would have been easier to go with a Sesame Street them but I was sticking to my guns. I had picked up some Muppet fabric a few months ago to use for something else which came in handy as tablecloths. I went online and ordered some Muppet plates, which was a big splurge at about $0.60 a plate. Then I got plates, cups, forks, and napkins at a party store and at the dollar store. I did not want everything to be too matchy matchy so I bought some green and blue cups and different napkins. I didn’t even use 75% of what I bought so I am already for the next party.

What is a birthday without cake?  I had spent some time going around to local bakeries to see if anyone could make my cake dreams come true without much luck. Then I realized that I could make cupcakes and have control over what they looked like for a fraction of the cost of professional cupcakes. I ordered some cupcake toppers from Etsy to add a professional touch to my homemade treats. This was a wonderful investment because fondant ain’t cheap and making them would have been too time consuming. They were really well done and the customer service was great. I personally do not like the taste of fondant but I saw these as purely decorative but guests could eat them if they felt so inclined. I really want to preserve them in a frame to gaze upon for eternity!

I found a great website with wonderful Muppet party tips and printable downloads. I love printable downloads and I am thankful that I have such a great photo printer! I printed out a bunch of things to use as decoration and spent a lot of time with scissors in the claws I once called hands. I made the Kermit eyes using 4 pairs of cardboard 3-D glasses from the party store. These were so much fun and I got pictures of all my guests (except one) wearing these glasses. I love the idea of a photo booth and using props.

We are very food focused in my house so it was very important that we had great food to offer. Since most of our guests were driving hours to celebrate with us, I wanted to make sure I had something delicious to offer them that wasn’t available at their local supermarket. Patrick made wonderful meatballs (“Swedish Chef Meatballs”) and a fabulous pâte. He spent most of a day elbow deep in meat! But all our guests were impressed with the results and my Aunts were clamoring for more. We also had a nice cheese plate, fresh cut fruit (arranged into a rainbow), pigs in a blanket (“Pigs in Space Blankets” not fancy and from the freezer section), and a chick pea salad (“Gar-Gonzo” salad which was quick and easy to whip together). I also made Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade and Peach syrup which could be added to iced tea or cocktails.

I invited 40 of our closest friends and family and was relieved that only 12 could make it. A few blogs I had read suggested keeping the guest list short and intimate which is good advice. Even though there were only 12 guests, I did not get a chance to really talk to anyone. I was too busy hosting a party, taking care of my baby, snapping photos, and then I was putting food into my gob as I had not eaten since 5 am. Having a short guest list also allowed everyone time to interact with the birthday boy without overwhelming him. Another item I read was to keep the party short and stay within that time frame. Our party was scheduled to run from 2-5. As some of our guests were making the 3 hour drive from Philly, they were allowed to come whenever they wanted and most of them got here an hour early. I spent the hour before party time nursing Orion and letting him nap on me. I wanted to make sure he was happy and fully rested for the party. It was killing me to hear my Aunts voices and not be able to run out and greet them and my 90 year old grandfather. My efforts paid off as Orion was such a good boy during the party and had tons of fun without ever shedding a single tear.

We were surprised when everyone (except 2 of our guest who had made the 2 hour drive up and were allowed to stay as long as they wanted) left at exactly the same time. By 5, Orion was ready for a nap but not before crawling out of his room to said good bye to his Great Grandfather, too cute! I was able to put Orion down in his crib for a nap and actually catch up with these dear friends who we hadn’t seen in a while. It felt so good to just sit and chat after running around since 4:30am.

The whole party flew by way too fast! I really wanted more time to chat with my guests. It kinda reminded me of my wedding. You get to say “Hi” and “Bye” but not much else. Orion had a great time and even though he won’t remember it, we got great pictures which he can enjoy when he grows up. I am already working on his scrapbook. His 1st year scrapbook is about 6 inches thick! I came from a family of photographers and what separates me from them is that I actually put them into albums. When my parents passed away we found drawers and boxes overflowing with pictures. I think it is easier to upload, print, and put in books as you go along. I cannot stress the value of photos as most of my childhood memories are linked to photos.

The day before the party, we got portraits taken at JC Penny. We went to JC Penny because they always have a great deal. We got 7 portrait sheets for only 25$! Since my in-laws were already in town, we had them in a few of the pictures with Orion. The pictures came out great! I am really glad that we got some nice shots of him with his grandparent. I plan to get portraits done twice a year, his birthday and Christmas. Once he is in school, the school picture will replace his birthday portrait.

Orion had a very happy birthday and I am so glad we could share the day with our closest friends and family. It was a lot of work but totally worth it! It was not perfect or worthy of Pinterest but it was our very special day. I missed my parents like crazy but having my mother’s sisters and father there made it a very special day.  Happy Birthday Orion!!

That's Bananas!

Maybe it is too early to say for sure but I may have a secret weapon in the getting baby to sleep arsenal.  I am convinced that bananas have been helping Orion to fall asleep and stay asleep at night.  For the past week and a half, he has slept through the night.  There was one night when he woke up around 10 pm, but that was also the day we ran out of bananas.  Bananas are an excellent source of potassium and magnesium, but also L-tryptophan which is converted into melatonin and serotonin.  These last two are really great for sleep and “people consider bananas one of the most important sleep foods”.

I try to have dinner between 6 and 7.  While we eat, the baby eats.  I will usually give him little pieces of whatever we are eating or spoon feed him some yogurt.  We have all been enjoying beef stew the past few days.  He likes to suck on the meaty bits, it is so friggin’ cute.  I make sure he has a good amount to eat because I know he will be dropping a few bits for the dogs to enjoy.  He is so nice to share his dinner with his furry friends.

Once Orion is done eating his dinner, I bring out dessert.  His eyes get all big and excited when he sees the banana.  He did not even like bananas until recently but now he loves them!  I will peel the banana and let him take bites.  He tries to take huge bites and put the whole thing in his mouth.  Sometimes he will grab the banana with both hands in the hopes of getting more into his mouth.

At this point, our dogs are freaking out and crying because they too want some banana.  Orion will usually drop some for them or give up a small chunk for me to split between the dogs.  Orion will eat about ¾ of the banana on his own.  Then we clean him up and put him in his jammies.  He will have a bit of play time before bed in the hopes of getting rid of all his excess energy.  I think the banana gives him a little energy boost because he can get a little silly.  He crawls around, chases the dogs, bangs on the ottoman, and plays. 

Once it is bedtime, I will take him into the bedroom with the lights off and no distractions.  I will nurse him up and make sure his belly is full.  Last night, he totally spit up on me for the first time in ages.  I guess he was stuffed and just needed to go to bed.  I was exhausted from our big day out so I took him to his bedroom and laid him down in his crib.  I turned on his soothing seahorse, which he never showed much interest in until that very moment.

I left the room and told my husband I was going to bed.  So what if it was barely after 8 pm, I was beat!  I let husband know I would be turning off the baby monitor (which is kept on the lowest volume level) and to turn it back on once he comes to bed.  Orion was still awake and I hoped he would just fall asleep.  I lay in bed with a bit of worry in my belly that Orion would not be able to fall asleep and both my men would experience some torture.

That was not the case!  For the first time ever, my husband successfully put the baby to bed.  He had to rock Orion for about 20 minutes but then he was asleep and stayed asleep through the night.  There was no fussing, no tears.  Orion woke up at bit after 6 this morning and Patrick (my husband) got him up and took him into the living room.  I tried to sleep more but was awake, so I got out of bed and walked into the living room.   Once Orion saw me, he got excited and crawled over with such quickness.  He climbed up on my legs and was reaching up for me which meant he wanted to nurse.  We nursed for a bit and then he was happy to play. 

It has taken close to a year to get where we are.   I feel like a whole new world is opening up.  I am excited because Orion is depending on me less and less which means I may be able to go out and have a bit of fun or even have a little weekend away.  Then there is a part of me that is going to miss our time together.  He nurses less and less these days.  Our relationship is changing and sometimes change is difficult to handle.  I guess I need to get used to it because as soon as a baby is born, he starts to grow up.  I look back on this first year and I am glad we had every moment together even when I was frustrated or tired and just wanted sleep.  I also look forward to what lies ahead, I hope there will be bedtime stories and snuggles.  

Which Cloth Diapers work for us

I purchased many different kinds of cloth diapers in order to see which ones worked well for my family. I recently went through my receipts and calculated that I have spent about $550 this past year on cloth diapers. Some of the things I bought I wish I hadn’t and some things I wish I had bought more of. There are so many different kinds of cloth diapers on the market, it can be really overwhelming to decide which to use.

Luckily, I live near Abby’s Lane and was able to take their Cloth 101 class. The owner, Stephanie, is supper nice and really helpful. I brought Orion to the class and she commented a few times on his cuteness and how she wanted to eat him up. Then he had 2 very loud poops during class which shocked me and made me gasp a little. Stephanie said it was a good segue to our next topic of poop. Stephanie has always answered my emails with lighting speed despite her 5 children, one of which isn’t even a year old yet.



If you are going to do cloth diapers you really need to have a working washing machine in your house. We have a front loading energy efficient washing machine and it does a great job. When we started cloth diapers we had a really old, ordinary washing machine which also did a decent job. Some people prefer the older models because you can add more water to the load which is something you can't do with the newer, water saving models. I have never been left with nasty inside either of my machines after washing diapers.

I started out using Rockin Green Classic Rock unscented washing detergent but have since switched to Tide powder. When I run out of Rockin Green, I either have to order it online or drive for an hour. It is also more expensive but it is more environmentally friendly than Tide Original powder. I really did not like the smell of the Tide at first but now I don’t even notice it. When washing, I recommend doing a pre-wash but an extra rinse really is a must. I wash my diapers daily and this has become a step in our baby's bedtime ritual.



I also recommend a diaper sprayer. It hooks up to your toilet and uses clean water from the tank (not the bowl which is for pooping). It is great at spraying away those sticky poops and we have not had any staining. I like to spray my diapers into a big paint bucket which we keep inside the tub. I will spray the diapers in the bucket (the higher sides help containing splashes from dirty diaper water) then I empty the bucket and rinse it out and then soak the diaper in the bucket with the lid on. You do want to be careful as a bucket with just a few inches of water is a drowning risk.

Here are some of the different cloth diaper options and my experience with them
Flat/pre-fold diapers with covers. We tried this option early on and I found I could never get the fit right. The diaper cover will help to catch leaks but you do need to change them more often. We used some of the Gerber cloth diapers you find at Babies R Us, some of these we used as burp cloths and some as diapers. I sprayed a bit of blue dye on the ones which would be used for burp cloths so I could tell them apart from butt diapers. These are not nearly as absorbent as the more expensive Indian prefolds. Both work and this is the cheapest option. One thing you really need if you are going this route is a Snappi. Forget the diaper pin, this little guy is genius!



When it comes to covers we tried Gen-Y, Thirsties, and Blueberry. I love that the Blueberry and Thirsties diaper covers have an extra leg gusset to catch leaks. Both worked really well but I prefer the Blueberry because it is roomier. I found the Gen-Y cover would get damp around the edges but they are super cute and we all know I am a sucker for cute. We also use the Flip system which is a cover and you can buy reusable or disposable inserts. This is more like an All-in-Two system as the cover wont really fit well over most fitted diapers. It can be used with pre-folds or flats and I really like the Flip system.

Pocket Diapers are really quite easy to use and we have had lots of luck with this type of diaper. We have tried Charlie Banana (small size), Happy Heinys (one size), DryBees (large size), RumpARooz (one size), and Fuzzi Bunz (one size). The RumpARooz have a short rise so my boy outgrew this diaper pretty quickly, around 6 months. I do think this diaper would last longer for a girl. Now that Orion is close to a year old and 22 lbs, the Fuzzi Bunz also seems to be too small. Personally, I found the Fuzzi Bunz annoying to adjust but sometimes I lack finger dexterity and patience. I love the Happy Heinys and have found they fit my boy well and have the least leakage. I like the DryBees and this is my go to morning or nighttime diaper when Orion has his highest output because this diaper always seems to stay dry. I was really happy with the Charlie Banana pocket but my favorite retailer does not sell them. When using a pocket diaper, I like to have a microfiber insert paired with a hemp insert on the bottom. The microfiber is quick catch and the hemp is super absorbent.

I have also tried a few All-in-Ones/All-in-Twos, Softbums, GroVia, and Thirsties. I like the Softbums but they are not the most absorbent so I tend to use this one in the afternoon. I did buy a bamboo pod to boost absorbency which is very effective. The GroVia is super trim and will fit well under clothes but it does leave red marks around Orion’s legs, the fit isn’t the best, and it is not the most absorbent. It isn’t my favorite diaper but I keep one in my diaper bag in case of emergency. I have also used their shell with flats and prefolds but have not bought the snap in inserts. I found that this shell did not fit over my fitted diapers which is why I do not consider it to be a diaper cover. But I couldn't resist the airplane print and just saw their bicycle and robot prints which are really cute. The Thirsties are our newest addition and we are still trying to get the fit down and its absorbency capacity. I think this is a diaper that might be better for girls because how the insert is sewn in. It also has to air dry which takes about 2 days inside. I like this style of diaper because it is less work but I don’t think they work as well as other diaper styles.



It took me a long time to understand what a fitted was and now I understand it to be a diaper that is 100% absorbent and requires a cover. Why they are called fitteds I do not know as I had thought fitted referred to size. I have used Kissaluvs and I really like this diaper and use it for nighttime diapering as well as daytime. I think a lot of people prefer fitteds for nighttime use.

Wool covers have worked really well for us at nighttime. Until that one time when I didn't wash the cover right and I had no luck with that cover for months and months. I have been using disposables at night but hope to get back to cloth diapers with wool covers soon. I am just waiting for the weather to warm up so I don't have to worry about having Orion in footie pajamas. I have only used the Disana cover but am curious to try to make a cover out of an old wool sweater.

If I were to go back and buy only one diaper system, it would be Flip. I love their inserts! You can fold down the insert to adjust their size and they have an amazing stay dry top. These are trim and absorbent but not as absorbent as my microfiber/hemp insert combination. I like to use these in the afternoon when Orion’s output isn’t as great. I know Orion’s pees way more in the morning until noon and now in the afternoon he goes a few hours without peeing at all. But really, I do not want just one system, I like having a variety to chose from depending on my babies needs at the moment.



Not all diapers are created equally. Whenever anything is really cheap, you have to ask why is it so cheap? Cheap material, unethical production practices, slave labor, child labor? The garment industry is pretty notorious for using sweat shops. Some companies are guilty of green washing and cashing in on environmentally friendly trends. Some companies have transparency in their practices and others do not. I know when I shop at Abby’s Lane that they can vouch for the items they sell. They sell items that are made with fair labor practices to the best of their knowledge. They also have a Made in the USA section

What works for us may not work for you because babies are like snowflakes, each one is different. It may take some time to figure out what works for your family. I know I overwhelmed my husband with too many diaper systems and not knowing how to work each one. I personally do prefer Happy Heinys when it comes to a pocket diaper and really love the Flip system. I also like Velcro/Aplix to snaps because they are quicker and easier. I do wonder if Orion will be able to undue the Velcro eventually.

I only started using cloth diapers 8 months ago and am still learning each and every day. I hope to offer some more in depth diaper reviews in the future. I often think my diaper stash is complete but then I see something that I really want to try out. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! And no, no one paid me or gave me anything to write this post. I did it for the love of the cloth. I will be taking a break from this subject but with Earth Day coming up and the Great Diaper Change, I wanted to take some time to focus on cloth diapers.

DYRN: Nasal aspirators

We have been fighting a cold since Sunday night. I don't know if it is all the pollen or the hot one day cold the next but something has really gotten the snot flowing. Orion is 11 months old now and this is only the second time he has gotten the sniffles so I count myself lucky. Both times I have gotten sick right along side him. I think this is because we are together every day all day and he loves to cough in my face.

I wish babies knew how to blow their nose! I got so scared that he would drown in snot during the night during his first cold. Until he knows how to blow his nose, it is my job to get out the snot. We have gone through 3 nasal aspirators and have found the Nosefrida to be the best option. Orion doesn't like any of them and fights me whenever I try to get out the snot. He doesn't understand that it is in his best interest. He also fights me during every diaper change so I think he is just fiercely independent.

The first nasal aspirator came with our baby first aid kit. Before I used it I thought it was great because it came apart for easy cleaning and the tip was clear so I could see if I was getting any snot. When I used it for the first time, it sounded like it was working but I wasn't getting anything. It was also cumbersome in my hand, it was too small and came apart easily.

Next we tried a cute little Sassy blue elephant. Isn't it cute? and I am such a sucker for cute! But it did not get the job done. Now it is a fun squirting bath toy so it wasn't $3 totally wasted. With each of these aspirators, Orion would fuss and fight. They also have to be reinserted in the hopes of getting out the snot and they have very little suction power.

The Nosefrida snot sucker is great because it works, is quick, easy to clean, and you can see what your getting. Yes I know it looks weird and the idea of sucking the snot out of your child's nose is gross. But you really do not have to worry about snot getting in your mouth. I have not seen the snot go beyond the first two inches of the tube. I am the designated snot sucker in the house as my husband don't play that, so he holds that baby while I suck, teamwork. With any nasal aspirator, I think it helps to have someone hold the baby so you can get it over with quickly.

This morning I had to clear Orion's nose and my husband held him while I sucked out the snot as per our arrangement. Orion was crying with all his might and afterwards only wanted Daddy to hold him. But Daddy had to go to work and this made Orion cry even more! He cried so hard but by the time Patrick was out the door I had rocked and sushed Orion to sleep. I was able to put him down in his crib and we both got over an hour and a half of sleep.

Yes, you do really need a nasal aspirator and you should have one on hand before you need one. I highly recommend the Nosefrieda and no one is paying me to say that. It also helps to have a saline spray on hand. The saline will dissolve the mucus and it is impossible to overdose on according to my Pediatrician so spray away. Good luck battling the boggie monsters!

Splash Class

Earlier this month, Orion and I started a swim class at our local rec center. The class meets on Mondays and Wednesday from noon to 12:30 for a total of 7 classes. I love the water and I want my baby to love it too. Some of my happiest childhood memories were spent in the pool with my Dad. We took Orion to our friends pool once last summer, he may have been about 4 months old (pictured above). He was pretty stoic throughout that experience but afterwards he passed out on my lap with such exhaustion(pictured below)!

I really had no idea what I was getting into with this swim class, the logistics are ridiculous! For a half hour class it takes almost 4-5 hours of my time. We usually leave the house at 11:30am, the rec center is 5 minutes away so getting there is no big deal. The first class I did not bring in the stroller which was a big mistake as I had no place to put baby boy down. I learned from that first class that it is OK to bring in the stroller.

We usually get in the pool a little early because I like to leave myself plenty of time. I do not like feeling rushed or being late especially if there are wet slippery floors and I am carrying a baby. I do bring the stroller pool side but that is mostly so I can watch it to make sure it doesn't get stolen. I do not like to put a soaking wet, pool smelling, swim diaper wearing baby into the stroller.

When we get into the locker room, I change first and then I get Orion changed. The class description stated that he would need a swim diaper. I was so hung up on the swim diaper I didn't think he needed anything else to wear. Of course all the other babies had on rash guards and bathing suits. I even went out after that first class to buy him a swim outfit but decided to return it. He would have, most likely, outgrown that outfit by the time summer comes and we are outside swimming. It was really cute though!

The class is really fun with 3 other moms with babies 6 months, 10 months, and 2 years old. Socialization is important for both baby and mommy! The teacher is really nice and brings out a bunch of different toys to play with. We have played with buckets, squirt toys (which Orion loves to chew on), watering cans, pool noodles, and balls. Orion likes to try to eat the big red ball. Sometimes he wants to be held by the swim teacher which is really cute!

I think the class was more for me to become more comfortable in the water holding my squirmy baby. At our most recent class, it really seemed like Orion was ready to doggy paddle away from me. Regardless of the fact that my baby is a genius (just like his Daddy), I know he really isn't able to swim yet. I haven't even put his head under water as I am afraid he will hate the experience and it will scar him for life or he will get an ear infection.

After class, I get Orion toweled off and into a diaper. Then I will put him in the stroller and dress myself. I like to wear a maxi dress with nothing underneath as it makes getting changed a breeze. And how cool is that machine that takes the wet out of your swimsuit! Once I am dressed, I can get Orion dressed without getting him soaking wet from my wetness. I wear my hair in a ponytail while in the pool so I don't have to fuss with it. Then we roll out and head for home.

It is usually after 1pm by the time we get home which means lunchtime. There is something about being in a pool, even for only a half hour that makes me hungry. So I fix us lunch, something quick and easy. I will usually have leftovers and give Orion something he can pick up and eat himself. Once I am done eating and have spent a few minutes not holding the baby, I am ready to hold him and nurse him up. He will nurse and fall asleep on me for an hour or more. I will spend this time chilling on the couch and catching up on what I have DVR'd.

Once he wakes up, I put him in the infant car seat carrier and we hit the bathroom. He can watch me though our shower door and hear my voice and I can scrub down. I never have time to do anything fancy like shave or exfoliate but I am happy to get the smell of chlorine off of me. Once I am dressed, it is time for Orion to have his bath. I am still bathing him in the kitchen sink to save my back and knees from the inconvenience of bathing such a little man in a baby bath tub inside of a full size tub.

By the time was are all showered it is 4pm and I am too tired to even think about cooking dinner. Good thing we tend to make something big on Sunday to get us through the week and we do love a frittata for dinner which is wicked easy and quick to make. If I had known that swim class was going to take so much effort, I would have only done it once a week. There also isn't much you can teach a 10 month old about swimming. He mastered splashing on the first day and has been perfecting splashing me in the face ever since.

Two dogs and a little baby

In my mid twenties, I was a little bit obsessed with Pomeranians. There was an elderly man in our South Philly neighborhood who had a cute little Pom named Petey. It was always such a treat to see them out and about even if I had to run a block or two to catch up with them. I really wanted a dog but was content at this point to enjoy other people’s dogs. The city was full of dogs of all types and sizes!

My mother had always wanted a Chinese Crested hairless. Her neighbor had a small herd of them and she became smitten. When she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, her friends got together and gave her a Crested puppy for her 60th birthday. Their time together was short as my mother passed away a week later. This silly little hairless puppy named Mr. Broadway needed a home.

My landlord would not let us have a dog so we had to find a new place to live. We moved into the first place we could find and afford which really was not the nicest. We became proud puppy parents and our first piece of business was to change Mr. Broadway’s name, no way was I calling out that name on the streets. We named him Squeeky as that was my mother’s biker name (yes, she was a biker chick and Rolling Thunder member). It was also fitting because Squeeky makes very silly squeaking sounds.

We had this wonderful, ridiculous, hairless dog who was the opposite of my dream dog. I was amazed by how much I loved him and how much of a comfort that little dog was after my mother's death. A few months later, we decided Squeeky needed a furry fluffy friend to keep him warm on cold winter nights. We got Fizgig when he was about 6 weeks old, just a little handful of fluff. They became like Firc and Frack. They snuggled together and Squeeky would lick Fizgig's face. They were an odd couple, I would sometimes refer to them as the Ying Yang twins. Squeeky was like an Emo/Goth kid and Fizgig was a cheerleader. They got along like a house on fire and Squeeky would often stand up for his little brother at the dog park.

Dogs were a good lead up to having a baby. When we inherited Squeeky in 2005, we suddenly found ourselves talking about poop more than we ever could have imagined. Squeeky was a pretty easy dog but Fizgig was not. Fizgig was all teeth and wanted to play constantly. Squeeky only ever wanted to curl up in a lap. We had been fooled into having a second dog because the first one was so easy. I hear this often happens with babies.

There was a time when Patrick would leave for work and the dogs would curl up in bed with me. Fizgig at my feet and Squeeky would curl up by my chest or belly. Fizgig being fluffy likes to be above the blankets and Squeeky being the constantly cold pup likes to be cozy under the blankets. I am glad the dogs figured out who got what spot and didn't fight about their placement. This has changed since Orion has taken Squeeky's spot in the bed. Now Squeeky gets in the bed and is all like "who the hell is in my spot and what am I supposed to do?". Eventually he will settle down and find a different spot.

I love my dogs but sometimes I wish I didn’t have any dogs. Fizgig is an alert barker and anytime we have visitors he freaks out for a good 10 minutes. Or if he hears a car door outside, or a doorbell rings on TV. Squeeky is a crotchey old man who is very jealous of the baby. When Orion was very little, Squeeky tried to knock him out of my lap to reclaim the spot that was rightfully his. Even now there are times when I am nursing the baby and Squeeky gets into my lap and refuses to move when I need to get up. Too often I get trapped under a sleeping baby and 2 dogs when I really really need to pee.

When Squeeky is in a lap or on the couch, he will defend his spot and growl at the baby. Squeeky has snapped at the baby a few times and we know if Squeeky is on the couch and Orion comes by Squeeky will snap. So we have to make sure it doesn't get to that point. Squeeky has always been the lap admiral, defender of laps. When we would go to the dog park Squeeky would prefer to sit in a lap and would defend that lap from any dog that would come by. Squeeky has never bitten anyone and has only 4 teeth and prefers to swallow his food instead of chewing it but we do not want to test him.

Fizgig is more tolerant of the baby but this has been tested. Orion loves Fizgig, he loves to chase the dog, grab his leash, pull his fur. Usually, we make sure he is gentle when he pets Fizgig but sometimes Orion will have a big handful of fluff. Fizgig has snapped at Orion only once or twice so we have been really lucky. Orion has even knocked Fizgig in the face with a toy and Fizgig just ran off like a good boy. I do not like to leave the baby alone with the dogs but it does sometimes happen for a few minutes while I go run to do something.

I would be devastated if Orion was ever injured by my dogs. If you have dogs and will be having a baby there are a few things to keep in mind. It is easier to call a dog to come than call a baby. If I think the dogs are getting too close to Orion I will call the dog's name. They will usually get distracted and come to me. It is very important that your dogs will come when called. Squeeky is a bit stubborn with this command but he does stop whatever he is doing when I call him.

I didn’t know until we were leaving the hospital that they recommend keeping the baby away from the dogs (or cat if you have one) until said baby is 6 weeks old. I remember thinking, how the hell am I gonna do that as the dogs have been all over everything in the house and we did not clean everything before birthing the baby?! When I told this bit of information to my lactation consultant she thought it was a bunch of hog wash. She had grown up on a farm and felt that “we” shelter our kids way too much. We did try to keep the dogs from licking the baby but he did come in contact with them. (Fizgig loves to lick the baby!!! Which is really odd as Squeeky is the dog that licks everything all the time but he never licks the baby.)

When the baby comes home from the hospital, suddenly everything is always about the baby. I am sure my dogs felt left out. I came home from the hospital and went straight up to bed and hardly paid them any notice even though I hadn't been home for 5 days. We did try to make time for the puppies but it was very hard at first. Now we have family pack play time every day. I will sit on the floor to read to Orion and the dogs join us and I pet them or we toss a ball together. The floor is neutral territory and the dogs are very good with the baby when we are all on the floor together.

We make sure the baby does not bother the dogs when they are eating. Our dogs do not growl if you try to take their food away from them or at least that has not happened yet. Just because your dog hasn't done something in the past does not mean he will never exhibit that behavior. I want our dogs to know that they do have some time where the baby is not involved. If the dogs are in their crates (we have always crated our dogs at night or when we are not home) the baby does not go near the crates. If Fizgig is in his crate and Orion goes crawling over Fizgig will freak out. And of course when Fizgig is in his crate all Orion wants to do is go crawling over by the puppy. These can be frustrating times!

The other day I told Patrick that we will not be getting future dogs until our kids are teenagers. Even then we might become a cat family. It is easy to get overwhelmed when the baby is crying and the dogs are barking. But I love my dogs and there is no getting rid of them. They do need to understand that I love my baby more and will always put his needs first. Orion is the new head of the pack and even though he is small and poops his pants, he is deserving of their respect.


We have a million pictures of Orion with Fizgig but have been unable to get a single good photo of Orion with Squeeky. This is as close as we have gotten but it sums things up pretty well.

DYRN nursing pillows

Do you really need a nursing pillow? No, not really but I honestly do not know how women were able to nurse before these pillows. I love! love! love! my nursing pillow. Orion is 10 ½ months old and we still use our nursing pillow. I am not looking forward to nursing without it but we may have to stop using it soon as Orion is getting so big!

I had registered for a My Breast Friend nursing pillow but then I found a cuter one online. So I added the Balboa Baby nursing pillow to my registry. This was a mistake but sometimes I am a sucker for looks. When we brought Orion home from the hospital he was 4 days old and the Balboa Baby pillow was not much good for anything. Orion was so small that he would fall into the gap between me and the pillow. Luckily, the next day was our first visit to the pediatrician which included time with a lactation consultant.

The lactation consultant had almost every nursing pillow on the market. The first one I tried was the My Breast Friend and I fell in love. Since this nursing pillow wraps around you, it can get right next to your body so there is no gap for the baby to fall into. This pillow also has little baby pillow head lifts which work great to help the baby get to the boob and help with positioning. After our visit, I sent my husband out to pick me up one of my very own.

The My Breast Friend pillow really helped me, saved me some back pain, and kept my baby happy. I have MS and one of my main issues is fatigue in my arms. I was really nervous about how motherhood was going to affect me. Early on, you spend the majority of your time holding that little bundle of joy. Orion was (still is) a total booby monster. He was nursing for up to 8 hours during his first weeks of life. I think without this pillow I would have had some issues and frustrations.

Orion loves to nurse himself to sleep and the My Breast Friend pillow doubles as a bed. He would (still does) nurse and fall asleep and I didn’t have to actively hold him. I just had to make sure he didn't roll away from me. It is nearly impossible to put a newborn down to bed so this pillow really helped. I had my hands free to eat over a sleeping baby or use my smartphone to help me stay awake. You really want to be sure that you stay awake when sitting up and nursing or holding the baby.

I did continue to use the Balboa pillow. I would use that pillow under lapping with the My Breast Friend and put a portable DVD player on top of the Balboa pillow. I spent many late nights in bed with my sleeping husband next to me while I watched movies, nursing the baby, and hoping I would soon be able to put the baby down in his bassinet. Eventually, I put the Balboa Baby pillow in the car to use when nursing out and about. This pillow became much easier to use when Orion was a few weeks old but them he outgrew it when he was just over 4 months old.

I know some people like to use the Boppy as a nursing pillow but that did not work for us. I am a larger woman and I couldn’t get that pillow to fit me right. The pillow would be too low in my lap causing me to hunch over which is no good for posture. But I do love the Boppy to lay the baby on and for tummy time.



One annoying thing about the My Breast Friend is finding covers for it. For whatever reason, Babies R Us sells the pillow but not extra covers. I had to go on Amazon.com to order extra covers. The covers are air dry so you will want to have at least 3. There were a few occasions when Orion would have a massive spit up on the pillow, we would change covers, and then his diaper would leak. 3 covers was the right amount for us and sometimes I would cover the pillow with a waterproof pad then a receiving blanket.

My motto when it comes to life after baby is whatever makes your life easier and whatever you can afford. I highly recommend a visiting with a lactation consultant. You might be able to try out different pillows and some even have breast pumps you can try if you bring a nipple guard. Nursing is not easy so try to not get frustrated and give up. Ask for help!

Why can't you sleep like a baby!?

Orion started sleeping through the night when he was six weeks old. I think we got lucky and I really can’t explain why. I do not have any secrets for sleeping newborns, sorry to disappoint you. I can only share my experiences. Luck was not always on our side when it came to the matter of sleep so do not be jealous. One tip I can share is to understand the sleeping patterns of newborns.

We had a bassinet in our bedroom next to my side of the bed until Orion outgrew it at 3 months old. Then he was sleeping in his own room across the hall from our bedroom in his very own crib. I love that our baby monitor will give the room temperature. I like his room to be about 70° with the ceiling fan on low. We never used crib bumpers, pillows, or blankets in the crib. We also did not leave toys in the crib as they can be a suffocation risk or cause injury if the baby were to fall.

If we did use blankets in the crib, he was swaddle up in the blanket nice and snug. Swaddling is a wonderful thing and there are many blankets and sleep sacks on the market. I think swaddling does help newborns to feel safe and stay asleep while providing needed warmth. The blankets were great when Orion was really small. As he got bigger, I loved using the Halo sleep sacks with swaddle arms until he was able to roll over. I was worried that he would not be able to sleep without swaddling but he slept well at night once we had to discontinue swaddling. We still use a Halo sleep sack but without the swaddle arms. With a sleep sack, you can be sure the blanket stays put without worry of suffocation or uncovered feet.

Sadly, we have never had much luck with naps. This is something we are working on and I look forward to being able to get things done while he naps. During the day, he will fall asleep while nursing and wake up when I try to put him in his crib. Yes, he passes the dead arm test every time. I am doing the same thing I do at night but it doesn’t seem to work. If we are out and about and he falls asleep in the carseat, I can bring him inside and get him to stay asleep in the carseat. I am not looking forward to upgrading to the next size car seat which I will not be able to carry into the house. We bought the new carseat weeks ago but I have been putting off its installation. Orion is about 21 lbs. now and his current carseat will fit till he is 30 lbs. so I might put the switch off till he hits 30 lbs.


This picture was taken Christmas Eve, we took a car ride to look at Christmas lights and Orion fell asleep.

I was amazed when I saw a friend put her 5 month old down for a nap on my leather ottoman. She just spread out a blanket, put him on his back, rubbed his belly, and after a bit of fussing was out for about 30 minutes. Why can’t I do that? We sat there and talked while he happily slept. I really want to be able to put Orion down for a nap and think I may have to wait until we are able to have a conversation regarding the matter. When he falls asleep on me during the day I have to ask myself if I would rather be holding a sleeping baby or try to put him down in his crib and risk waking him up.

Lack of sleep and exhaustion can do crazy things to a person. One sleepless night, I was up nursing a 9 ½ month old Orion and reading blogs and trolling the internet for sleep advice. I started to worry that I may have broken the baby. He used to sleep so very well but suddenly he would wake up every few hours. He will soon be 10 months old, is he stuck with his old bad habits. Is he an old dog that cannot learn new tricks? Will I be holding him at naptime when he is 5 years old?

Could it be sleep regression? What is sleep regression? There is 4 month, 6 month, 9 month, 12/13 month, 18 month and 24 month sleep regression! I think it is just a nice term for a chunk of time when baby goes crazy and does not sleep well. This might be due to physical milestones, cognitive developments, or teething. People like things to have labels and it lets them know that they are not the only one dealing with a fussy baby who suddenly won’t sleep. Moxie can tell you more about sleep regression.

The phrase “sleep like a baby” is very misleading. I think it has fooled many parents into thinking that there is something wrong with their baby. I was also misled when I was told babies sleep 20 hours a day. Now "they" say a one month old baby needs 16 hours of sleep within a 24 hour period. Orion seemed to nurse more than he slept in his first weeks. But he was never awake and fussy, any lack of sleep he may have now or in the past never caused an adverse reaction.

Babies go through phases and their patterns are constantly changing. Just when you think you have something down, it will totally change. I think you have to be flexible and patient as a parent. I understand there will be some sleepless nights. I am thankful and lucky that I do not have to go clock in somewhere during the day. If we have a rough night, we might be able to catch a nap together during the day. I may not have a "job" but I work 24 hours a day and am always on call. Orion is my boss.

I have yet to have a night away from my baby. I think the longest I have been away from Orion was for about 5 hours when a girlfriend and I did a ghost tour of Harper’s Ferry one very cold windy night. That was the only night my husband has put the baby to bed. It didn’t go so well but eventually patrick got Orion to go down but he woke up about 45 minutes later. I do look forward to some more me time but I have had about 30 years of me time leading up to Orion’s conception. My time will come but for now he needs me and I need him to be a happy healthy baby.



Orion and Squeeky are both sleeping on me and I cannot believe that smile on Orion's face. This was the best cuddle puddle ever!

Do you really need...

There is a lot of money to be made off parents and pregnant women, especially first time parents. If you are like me, you never spent much time around babies before having one of your own. It is hard to tell what you need from what you don’t before that bundle of joy arrives. Once that bundle does arrive, it might be joyous but tinged with sleepless exhaustion. This can lead a desperate parent to shell out big bucks in the hopes of regaining some sanity.

Sadly, I am not made of money and am often shocked by the price tag of many baby items. I follow a number of blogs and am surprised when they recommend a $40 sleep sack or $33 hooded towel. My husband does make enough money to enable me to stay home with the baby but that doesn’t mean we do not miss my previous income. Even with extra money I wouldn't want to spend $33 on a towel unless it can also give the baby a bath.

Truth be told, I am cheap and I have always been cheap. My mother said I was the cheapest person she knew. Not sure if she ever realized that I got it from her as she loved thrift store shopping, bargain hunting, and never let me spend more than $2on a pair of underwear. Old habits die hard but I am now realizing that there are a few things you should not cheap out on.

I hope this reoccurring feature will help you weed out what you need from what you really don’t.

First we are going to talk about baby containment devices. There are play yards, swings, jumpers, Bumbos, and exersaucers. When our baby boy first came home, the only thing we had to land him in downstairs was his carseat. I think this has turned out to be one of the best baby holding options. First, if you have a car and a baby you must have a carseat. We spent about $300 on the Chicco Key Fit this is one of those things you do not want to cheap out on. When shelling out those big bucks, you want to get your money’s worth. We love our stroller and find it very easy to use. The carseat worked well to hold our newborn because it was portable, snug, and rockable. The seat with infant insert envelopes the baby who has spent the past 9 months floating in goo, cozied up in your womb. This seat isn’t a swing but it can be rocked and I love a multitasker. I can remember having Orion in the carseat on the floor next to my bed and rocking it with my foot while I rested my eyes. To this day, the only way I manage a shower during the week is by putting Orion in the carseat and bringing him into the bathroom. I do have to strap him in now that he is such a wiggle butt but he can see me, hear my voice, and more important, I can see him. I do not have to worry if he is crying or if he decided to test gravity in his crib. Do not under estimate the power of a carseat. It might not work for everyone but it certainly worked for us.

We had an open top take along swing but Orion was never interested in it and it really wasn’t very portable. We put him in it a few times and he didn’t mind it but it was never a magic charm which would swing him to sleepyland. This was a hand me down which we later donated to Goodwill. I am glad we were able to try it out without spending the money. Go make friends with pregnant women and see if they are willing to swap stuff once they are finished with it. This was an item that was very bulky which I would not be willing to put into storage for years until baby number 2 shows up. I am sure many other moms get to a point where they really just want to downsize on the baby gear.



Most people have happy memories and childhood photos of them in a doorway jumper. When I was registering at Babies R Us, I assumed this was a must have. For Orion’s 4 month birthday, we instilled the Sassy Seat doorway jumper which he liked until he knocked his head into the door frame. His weight was never evenly distributed in the seat and he would end up being lopsided. He really loved the toys that came with that seat. Our pediatrician told us that he does not recommend these types of jumpers as they can cause hip issues. Thanks for telling me now Doc! But we did get some really cute pictures of a very happy Orion in his Sassy seat.



The Doctor recommended an exersaucer and I started to shop around. This is an expensive item which becomes obsolete once baby is walking or so long that he can stand up flat footed when seated. I looked at Kid to Kid for a used one but they all seemed pretty ratty. I ended up at Burlington Coat Factory and got a super sweet deal on a floor model. We love our exersaucer and the seat is removable for washing. It is also durable, Patrick fell on it once and it came apart into 2 pieces but was not damaged. Regardless of much we love this exersaucer, we will not be keeping it around once Orion outgrows as it takes up way too much space.



Highchairs are a wonderful thing and Orion loves being in the highchair and drumming on the tray. I often feed the baby when I am eating. Yes it is annoying and I have learned to use both hands, one feeding me and one feeding the baby. But I want us to have family meals and eat together. Orion likes to feed himself so I can get a bit of a break when I give him finger foods. There are many different types of highchairs so you can find one that works for your family.



If you plan on doing any traveling within your baby’s first year of life, you will need a pack and play/play yard. This was the first item we bought to have a place to put the baby down when we were downstairs at our old house. Orion was 4 weeks old when we bought it and even though we are now living in a one floor home, it is still set up in our living room. This is the pack and play we bought. It has hamper, shelves, bassinet, changing table, carry case, and a mobile with bears, lights, and music. Orion would lie in the bassinet and watch the bears with such intensity. They never put him to sleep but it kept him quiet and happy. The changing table was really great until Orion became too much of a wiggle worm. Now we use the changing table to put his coat and shoes on before we head out the door. This is an item that will grow with your child. The shelves that used to hold diapers, wipes, and burp cloths now hold Orion’s toys. Sometimes he will crawl over and help himself to a toy or two.

I hear a lot about Bumbo and sometimes wonder if we should have gotten one. I do not think Orion missed out on having one or that it would have been a magical answer to some prayer. If you do want one, buy it used. They are easy to clean and I have seen tons of these at Kid to Kid and on Craigslist. You might even be able to get a free hand me down from a friend or family member. There have been a few recalls on this item so be sure you are using it safely.

Bottom line, you need a carseat and you can use it in different ways. You need a highchair, and can find one that fits your price range and family life. Then it is a good idea to get a fun play seat for the baby and exersaucers seem to be the answer. If you will be traveling a pack and play is a necessity. Do you need anything else? Not really but that doesn’t mean you won’t want other things and you might find that they answer all your prayers.

When shopping for big ticket items, keep in mind that Babies R Us is always giving out 20% off coupons, use them wisely. When shopping for anything, ask yourself if you really need x, where will you put x once you bring it in the house, and how often will you use x. Try to practice mindful shopping.

How Friggin Cute!

It has been a rough couple of days at our house. Patrick started getting sick Thursday night and finally recovered Sunday night. And Orion has been cutting his 5th tooth!



Friday night after I got Orion to bed, I came out to find Patrick asleep on the living room floor curled up with the dogs. How friggin cute, right?!

We are so thankful for the three day weekend, hurray for presidents day!! And we all got 8 hours of sleep last night!!!! We will make the most of today, including roasting a pork shoulder and making chocolate pot de creme.

Roadtrip tips

Here are some of my tips for traveling by car with babies. Of course, make sure the carseat is properly installed and that the baby is secure in the seat. Also note the expiration date on the carseat, these things are not built to last forever. And never buy a used carseat or buy a seat from Craigslist. You cannot be sure the seat was never in an accident. A carseat is not something you want to cheap out on buying.

•Fill up the gas tank when the baby is awake. Know how much gas you will need. Fill up if the baby is awake but your gas tank is not yet empty but you will need more gas eventually.

•Make sure the baby is well feed before you hit the road. The chaos of Grandpop’s birthday caused me to forget to feed Orion his sweet potato puree. I think this added to his subsequent breakdown a half hour from home.

•A clean diaper is a happy diaper. At home I use cloth diapers and change his diaper every 1 ½-2 hours. On the road, I use disposable diapers (we like Pampers) so I won’t have to stop as often to change dirty diapers. I also think he is more comfortable in a disposable diaper for long car trips as they are less bulky.

•Have some baby friendly music on hand. Sometimes we listen to the classical station but there are a few lullaby albums that we love as a family. Mumford & Sons Inspired Lullabies by Lullapalooza has worked like magic on many occasions. Rockabye Baby Lullaby Rendition of The Cure is also a standard. I want their Nirvana, Tool, and Radiohead albums for myself. I also downloaded 50 Greatest Baby Lullabies by Lullabye Baby Ensemble which has a nice variety and you can play guess what song this is.

•Have a favorite toy for baby to amuse themselves with. I get motion sickness very easily and cannot sit in the backseat. I have tried to sit in the backseat and soothe the baby when he is freaking out but that has only work 5% of the time. When baby wants to be held and fed, nothing else will do.

•If baby is awake, talk, sing, laugh, and be silly. When we had our 4 hour drive up to PA when Orion was 6 weeks old, I talked so much I thought my head would explode.

•Keep baby comfortable, not too cold and not too hot. Also protect them from direct sunlight.

•If you have to stop, pull over where it is safe and well lit. Ideally that would be a rest stop or gas station.

•Stay calm. If the baby cries, it won’t kill him. I did not learn this lesson until Orion was 6 months old and we left him with my mother-in-law while Patrick and I had dinner down the street with friends. When we came back Orion was happy so I assumed that everything had gone well. Then I was informed he cried for close to an hour after we had left. But he survived and still loved me and would not be scarred for life and end up on intervention because I left him for 90 minutes.

Traveling with babies is not an easy task so try to simplify as much as possible. If you forget something, chances are you will be able to pick it up when you reach your destination or you may forget that it was even forgotten.

Baby Name Game

We had a bunch of different names picked out for a girl. My husband has always wanted a girl but I was pulling for a boy. He grew up surrounded by women and most of his friends are women. I was a girl myself and I remember playing tug of war with my mom while she brushed my messy locks. I also remember fighting with her about what I was going to wear and how difficult I was in general. I was not ready to go through all that. But I have always considered naming my daughter Charlotte after yours truly. We have 4 generations of Tom in our family. Names get passed down Father to Son, why not Mother to Daughter. So I do hope that our next baby (yes there will be another) will be a girl.

We had no interest in waiting to find out the sex of the baby. There will be plenty of surprises and I wanted to actually know something about my baby before his big debut. I was a high risk pregnancy and had ultrasounds every few weeks and spent too long convinced that our baby would be faceless as he was very camera shy. But he did love showing his junk! We have many ultrasound pictures with little arrows pointing to his penis exclaiming "BABY BOY". Plus, people want to buy stuff for the baby and I did not want to end up with a ton of yellow and green gender neutral stuff.

Naming our son was a big challenge. Patrick suggested Django, I suggested Hunter. I can hardly remember most of our other suggestions. My desire for Hunter would not be squelched, so I suggested Orion. We figured everyone knew the constellation Orion (but they don't). The name would be different yet familiar. Everyone (not everyone) has a memory of star gazing with their father who points out Orion's belt. I know I had that connection. Orion is my favorite constellation partly because it was so easy to find.

We had the first name down, which took forever but then we had to come up with a middle name. It had to be something normal. If he hated his first name he could fall back on his middle name. I hope he never hates his name but it may take a while for him to grow into it like it did for me(http://sofriggincute.blogspot.com/2012/02/nicknames.html). Patrick did not want to use any names from the bible but in the end, this rule was broken. I like using a grandparents name as a middle name. We went with his paternal grandfather's first name, James. He was usually called Mac and Patrick had suggested this name but Mac McConnell was just too much.

Once you have the name, do you tell anyone? We told people, we didn't see the point in keeping it a secret. No one was going to ruin that name for us and we weren't worried about anyone stealing the name. After our son was born, we found out Patrick's dear old friend was a bit upset because we had accidentally "stolen" the name she had her heart set on for her second child. Since she hasn't started on child number one yet, nobody got too bent out of shape. When I asked her what name she had picked out for her first child, she refused to spill the beans just in case we happened to love that one too. I would be happy for her to name her child Orion as I think it is nice to know someone with the same name. All the Charlotte's I ever knew growing up were older than my grandmother. I hear this name a lot these days and am very happy to see its surge in popularity.

The day after we decided on Orion, Patrick got a work email from Major Orion So and So of the US Army. How odd that a name we never saw used in reality would pop up so quickly. It was nice to know there was another Orion out there. We may never find a personalized licence plate, toothbrush, or pen with Orion's name on it but we are crafty people. I own some Sharpie pens and it is amazing what you can find on the internet.

Baby Boy's favorite toys

Orion was never interested in pacifiers and it took him awhile to see the fun of rattles. He does not yet have an attachment item, a favorite blanket or stuffed animal. His favorite toys are things I probably should not let him play with. One would be the dog's water bowl, he loves to splash in it but we try to discourage this behaviour. If baby boy is going for a crawl about I put the water bowl on the counter. Funny that he likes to splash in that tiny tub when he was not interested in the big swimming pool last summer.



Sometime we keep Fizgig on his leash inside because it chills him out. Orion loves chasing Fizgig and grabbing the leash and swinging it around. This looks very cute, like that baby is going to take the dog for a walk. But one day Fizgig ran for something while Orion was holding the leash and Orion fell over. He did not cry or get hurt or get dragged and honestly it looked very funny. But it was really not cool and eventually when Orion is holding that red leash, it will end up in his mouth. I do clean the leash but there is really no way to sanitize it so we don't mind Orion holding the leash but take the leash away when it gets in his mouth.



In the mornings when we lay in bed, Orion crawls to the head of the bed. He climbs to his feet supported by our headboard and grabs the cord of the venetian blinds. He chews it and twirls it then shakes all the blinds. He does this while I supervise and remind myself that I need to learn baby CPR. isn't there a warning on venetian blinds or their cords which say they are a danger to children? Its not like I let him play with dry cleaner bags.

Just last week he discovered the light switch above his changing table. Changing him has become very difficult as he wants to roll over, crawl, and chew on the changing table. He found the light switch and was able to turn it off but it was a few days before he could turn it on. I would say off and he would turn it off then I would say on and he would turn it on, coincidence? But he became obsessed with the switch and we were forced to move the changing table. This is the first time a friend of his has moved away.

He is fascinated by the electrical outlets which are childproof. He does not spend much time investigating them and moves on to the apron strings that hang near by then heads for the water bowl, dog food bin, and trash can. He tries to pull himself up on everything including the recycling can but these efforts are discouraged. We have two cushy couches, a leather ottoman, a grey bench, a blue plastic stool, and a grey plastic hand chair that he can pull himself up on under supervision. He loves to test gravity and has taken a few Nestea plunges.

As he is teething, his love of chewing on metal has grown. I have not found any metal teethers and the metal baby spoons I own are from when I was a kid and who knows what could be in them as safety standards were not where they are today. When Orion crawls in the living room he hits a fork in the road and will either go right to chew on the chrome wheels of my modern black leather rocking chair or go left to play with the metal dog crates. He likes to swing the doors open and closed on the crates. He will chew on them as well as the food bowls that hang on the front. This is fine as long as Fizgig is not locked in his crate. That is the only time he will bark at the baby. I am waiting for the day when Orion crawls inside on of the crates. I will get my camera and take a few pictures before removing Orion from the crate. Yes, I do look forward to this photo op and do not want to stage this cuteurtunity.

Orion has discovered the door stop behind his bedroom door and the front door. The one behind the front door makes a much better "sprrrooonnngggg" sound. I like it when he plays with this as I can hear where he is and what he is doing. This gives me time to put the laundry away or use the bathroom. But if I don't hear that sound for a bit then I must investigate as he may be trying to pull himself up on the ceramic umbrella stand. I do worry that my husband might come home one day while the baby is behind the door.

I think Orion might grow up to be a drummer. He bangs on everything, chairs, the floor, the bathroom scale, the plastic calculator on the desk, my chest, and his daddy's bald head. But his favorite drum is a round Tupperware container filled with dog kibble. We keep this bribe jar by the couch as Fizgig is prone to a spot of fuckery and is very food motivated. Orion will bang away on this drum and eventually start to chew on its plastic lid. This we try to discourage as it must be dog food flavored by now. Maybe it is time I bust out the pots and pans for him to bang away on in the kitchen while I attempt to cook a meal for the first time in ages.

Why do all babies love remote controls and cell phones? He is forever going for these devices and we have 3 remote controls and 2 cell phones in the house. Often he will change the channel when I am watching something on the DVR. Orion is the only one who has gotten the picture in picture to work on our Google TV and I have no clue how he did it. I understand that cell phones are insanely dirty so I do try to keep it away from him. The remote is another matter, I am thinking of buying him one of his own to play with and not a toy version but the real thing.

I try to balance Orion's baby freedom with my don't touch that it will kill you impulse. I am a stay at home mom who does not have high expectations for what I want to accomplish in a day. My days are mostly spent chasing the baby, guarding him so that when he pulls himself up on the blue stool he will not fall to the left and crack his head on the bookshelf. There is apart of me that is afraid to leave him alone in his crib as I have seen him pull himself up then let go and fall back. And don't suggest crib bumpers, I know they make breathable version but he will eventually use it as a step to escape his baby jail.

I do miss the times when I could put him down and he would stay where I put him. Or when the farthest he could go was just to roll over once and had yet to figure out how to log roll around. Or even the good old days when he really liked being in his exersaucer. Now that he can crawl, it is all he really wants to do but he will hang out in his exersaucer on his own terms. He was 9 months old when he got his first boo boo from falling off the bed. I admit, I fell asleep for a second and woke up in time to see his legs go over the edge of the bed.



He will get hurt and I will try to prevent injury but I will not prevent him from exploring his world. I will be there to pick him up when he falls and kiss his boo boos when he cries.