Birthday Balloon Wreath

I've been slacking in the blog department lately. Lots of reasons, but those will make for some good posts, so you'll have to wait. One of the biggest reasons is that I'm getting ready for B's FIRST BIRTHDAY! In typical me fashion, I'm going a little over the top, but trying my best to keep it somewhat under control and personal. I'll have a whole post with all of the fun and photos, but first - I have to share this super cute balloon wreath!

I first got the inspiration (or should I say Pinspiration) to do this after browsing Pinterest for birthday ideas. When I realized how easy and fun this would be, it was a no-brainer that it could be a decoration for this birthday and beyond! I pinned several versions of this wreath, but landed on a hybrid of my own.

I found everything that I needed at Super Wal-Mart, but you could easily avoid Wal-Mart and head to Joann's, Michael's or Party City. I would have done that, had I had time, but I digress.

1. A foam wreath in your desired size
2. 1-2 spools of ribbon, approximately 2" wide
3. 2-3 bags of balloons. The number of bags that you need will depend on the size of the balloons that you used. I used 12", just to give you an idea.
4. A box of straight pins

Here's what you do:

  

1. Pin one end of the ribbon to the wreath and wrap it around until the wreath is covered. Secure the other end of the ribbon with another set of pins. Using a ribbon to cover the wreath helps to cut down on the number of balloons that you need.
   
2. Start pinning the balloons to the wreath. Bunch and tuck and arrange until you have the look that you want! 
   

Here is my finished product! I used about two bags of 12" balloons, trying to make the colors look random. I plan to hang it from the front door, using extra ribbon.

I'm thinking that I might add some elements from his birthday theme to the wreath, but that may end up to be a game time decision. Since the wreath is foam, it will be easy to stick some extra decorations in there that I can remove after the party. I'm really happy with how this turned out and even happier to have completed another Pinterest project. I'm adding this to my "Pinned it then made it/bought it/did it" Board!

Get Messy

Source: Here

The other night, I was on dinner duty with B and Chino. I needed a quick and easy dinner, something (somewhat) nutritious and of course, delicious. I stopped at Trader Joe's on my way home from work and grabbed some frozen gnocchi and some ground beef to throw together when I got home. I thought for a second about how messy B would get as he LITERALLY stuffed his face with it, but then decided to embrace it. Instead of feeding him with a fork, I stripped him down to his diaper, sat him in his high chair and let him go to town. I'm so very glad that I did. He had an absolute blast, picking up the food and feeding himself. By the end of it, his fact was covered, the high chair tray was covered and Chino was a very happy mutt, since he was the beneficiary of the food that was flying during all of the excitement. Of course, I posted the photo of B on Facebook because everyone loves a messy baby. He got a lot of likes and comments, but one comment stood out. Someone said that she was afraid to try that with her own son because she was afraid of the mess. In that moment, I decided not to be afraid of the mess but to embrace the mess. The mess is the fun part. Yes, it took some extra baby wipes and a post-dinner bath to clean it all up. Yes, I found ground beef in his diaper (how does that happen?), but the smiles and the fun and the laughter were all worth it. I know that some days, we won't have time to embrace the mess, but I'm going to do my best to wrap my arms around it and to live in the now, thinking about the consequences later. 

No Sew, DIY Crib Rail Cover

Do the sides of your baby's crib look like this? Mine do.

Baby B managed to gnaw his way around the entire inside perimeter of his gorgeous crib.The same crib that we painstakingly picked out so that it would LAST and be a piece of furniture that would grow with him from baby hood and beyond. Now that I look back on it, I can see that I was forgetting about the part where my baby figured out how to stand and was also teething at that exact same time, leading to a perfect storm of furniture destruction. All of those mornings, where B was quiet in his crib, "playing"? Yeah, this is what he was doing.

I'm not a huge DIY'er, so first, we headed off to the dreaded, Babies R Us to find a crib cover that would stop the insanity and save the wood. When we realized that they wouldn't fit, it was time for me to get creative, which turned out to be a lot cheaper and easier than exhaustively searching for crib rail covers. I'm so excited to share my first, official, DIY project as a mom! I wish I would have through of it before B left his mark on his bed, but better late than never, right? Here's what I did:

• Go to your favorite craft store and purchase 2-3 yards of fleece. I'm bad at measuring, so I always OVER estimate incase I goof. I went to Jo-Ann's and used a coupon, straight from my iPhone, so my fleece was 40% off! 
• Measure! Measure the length of your rails, the distance between the slats and the "wrapped" distance around the rails.
• Spread your fleece out on a flat, dog hair free surface. Cut rectangles in the appropriate dimensions. Length should be the length of your crib rails and the width should be enough to wrap around the crib rails, with a little room to spare, maybe 1-2". You can always trim back if you need to.

• Mark the fleece where the crib rails will be. For me, I just marked every 2" or so.
• Fold the rectangle in half and then cut on your marks, so that you have a fringe. Cut about 2-3" into the fleece. Don't cut too deep, you can always cut additional space while you're wrapping.
• Drape the cut fleece over the appropriate crib rails and start tying the fringes together. I started on each end and then worked my way to the middle. Make sure that you knot the tails on the side that the baby can't reach. Pull the fleece tight, so that there isn't any bunching or gathers on the side that your baby will see. Cut any loose "tails" off of the knots that face out. Repeat the process on the remaining crib rails and voila! You have a completely wrapped, and protected crib. Safe from beavers and babies.

This is my first DIY post, so my process pictures aren't the best. I didn't even think to take photos until I was almost done, but I'm hoping that you get the idea. I'm thrilled at how it turned out, and so is Nick. As usual, he had no clue about my final vision until he saw it come to life. We are week one into our newly protected crib and it is working beautifully.

This is my first DIY post, so if I'm missing any details or if you need clarification, let me know in the comments. Are there any other preventative measures that I need to take, now that B is a full blown toddler?

Breast Feeding - What they didn't tell me

Shortly after B was born, I captured my birth story, but I've been hesitant to write about my breast feeding story because it isn't over yet. I'm only on chapter 9 1/2 of at least 12. I may have more to share after the pump is packed away and I can finally go back to (my version of) normal bras.

Before B was born, I had decided that I would nurse, if I could. I knew at it was important and I also knew that what my body was making for him was exactly what he needed. In the back of my head, I gave myself permission to switch to formula if I had to, but I hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be necessary.

When B was born, I thought that he would just know what to do. I mean, his primary job in life was to eat so he could poop, pee, sleep and repeat. Boy, was I wrong. He didn't know how to latch and neither did I. While we were in the hospital, I struggled with different positions, trying to help him get with the program. I  asked for help from nurses and met with  lactation consultants. He would latch for a minute or two and then let go. I was frustrated and hormonal and creeping closer to throwing in the towel. B was losing weight, which made me nervous, but I continued to try. Thankfully, my mom was there to remind me that nursing was hard and I had to stick with it. Looking back, I'm so glad that I did. Hindsight is 20/20, and now that I look back, I know why we struggled so much. My milk hadn't come in yet. Simple as that. Once the liquid gold started flowing, B got with the program, started gaining weight and we never looked back.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very, very grateful for the information that the lactation consultants and nurses shared with me. I can't help but feel, though, that some information was left out. Maybe it is because they hadn't been nursing moms for awhile and they forgot about the bad parts and also what it was like to have this brand new, tiny human to take care of. That is completely understandable, if we didn't forget about those parts, this world would be full of only children. I'm such an optimistic person, so maybe the problem was me, expecting more rainbows and unicorns? Either way - this is some of the information that I wished I had known before baby B was ready to latch on.

• They said that breast feeding shouldn't hurt, it should be a "gentle tugging." I have to say, during those first few weeks, it hurt like hell. Imagine someone sucking on your nipple for hours and hours each day. Of course it is going to hurt. The good news? It passed quickly after the girls toughened up. The bad news? Until that happened, it felt like B was chomping down on my nipples when he latched on. The better news? He is too little to remember the swear words that I screamed before my nips were properly conditioned.

• They told me that there would be days that I was feeding him a lot. That was basically the understatement of the year. Two words: cluster feeding. Look it up. Cluster feeding is what your baby does when he needs you to kick up the milk supply. Cluster feeding means that you will literally be feeding him or her CONSTANTLY. Had I known the magnitude of those two words, I would have saved myself the time and heartache, trying to calm a hungry newborn that had just eaten.

• Nipple confusion. Thinking back, this cracks me up. I know that he was literally born yesterday when I heard about this, but I can't see how he could confuse a nipple that produces food with one that doesn't. Just sayin'.

• Proper nursing position. They tried to show me how to make B lay when it was time to eat. Try as I might, he wouldn't cooperate. Baby's gonna do what baby's gonna do. If input and output are happening as they should, let him do what he wants as long as its comfortable for the both of you.

• Formula is not the devil. Personally, I never had to use it, but its there if you need it and I have a friend who had to supplement until her milk came in. Both her and her baby are doing wonderfully and she is one that made it to 12 months of successful breast feeding.

• The gave me these little tubes of Lanisoh to apply to my nipples after each feeding. As I look back, I wonder if that made things a little too slippery for B, screwing up his latch. It did prevent cracked and chapped nips though, which is definitely a good thing.

Now that I'm into month 9 of mommy hood and breast feeding, I can say proudly that I did it. I'm a full-time working mom with a happy, healthy baby boy. I even managed to produce enough milk to have a stash in the freezer (thanks to my trusty Medela Freestyle Pump). Was it easy? No. Was I a tad neurotic when it came to nursing and Pumping? Yes, because protecting that food supply is one of the most important jobs that I had during this first year.

As I'm watching my supply reduce in response to B's adventurous palette, I have mixed emotions. I'm sad that my little baby is getting bigger, but so proud that he's quitting me, naturally and gradually and even prouder of myself that I'm seeing this through and never gave up.

Don't get me wrong, I received some great and super useful information. I don't mean to be negative, but I wish that I had heard more of the bad to go along with the good. Knowing that I wasn't doing something wrong would have helped calm my crazy hormones...or at least refocus them on to another area of perceived inadequacy.

Lag time

I had an epiphany. Nick has been on a delay when it comes to our new reality. Maybe ephiphany is too strong a word, but there is a definite lag. I was thinking about the last 12 months or so, thinking about the changes that I and we have gone through and realized that I had a my "brick wall" moment in February of 2012, and Nick didn't have his until October 2012.

My life changed as soon as I peed on that stick. The minute that I saw that second line, I began to worry about the food that I ate, the activities that I participated in and the sleep that I desperately needed. My drinking days officially ended. I was still a social butterfly, but the changes that happened as soon as the pregnancy was confirmed were drastic.

When I peed on the stick, Nick's life didn't change...that much. He became subject to my neurotic behavior, but was still able to drink beer and stay out late. He didn't have to microwave his lunch meat. He didn't develop a sudden distaste for everything smoked and he didn't have to say goodbye to caffeine and artificial sweeteners. He had a pregnant wife, but everything else was status quo.

Fast forward to summer time. The baby is starting to show, much to my excitement. I'm starting to walk a little slower and thanks to my bladder, I'm sleeping a little less. I'm experiencing the baby and have been for awhile. Staying out late isn't as appealing as it once was and my entire wardrobe is comprised of elastic pants stretchy and flowy shirts. Nick is still enjoying beer on the patio, poker night and happy hours.

This continues on into the fall...you get the idea. I'm not upset with him, just a tad jealous. Maybe jealous isn't the right word, but its the best that I can come up with. My heartburn is annoying and my back is sore sometimes, but all in all, I'm just my normal self with a large belly. As my belly grew, I was getting more and more comfortable with the idea that the baby was coming...and coming soon.

Once the time came, I approached the birthday with relief that the pregnancy was coming to an end and that a new chapter was beginning. I didn't think that Baby B's birthday marked a "brick wall" moment for Nick. I recently realized though that for him, that moment was the equivalent of peeing on the stick. His life changed completely from one day to the next.

This delay wasn't obvious to me at first. It didn't become obvious until B was around 6 months old or so. I think it was on weekend that we didn't have plans. The pre-parent versions of us would have headed to a bar or to dinner or something, making up the plans as we go. I knew that this wasn't an option for us during this particular weekend, but Nick was having a hard time wrapping his head around it. He was grumpy, indecisive and generally annoyed. I was annoyed, but only because we couldn't figure out where we wanted to go or what we wanted to do.

After we talked in circles for a little bit, we came to the realization that he was missing the fact that our previous shenanigans weren't an option anymore, without some very specific planning done before/after. Although he didn't miss the bar scene, he missed having it as an option, and I totally understood. At that moment, I realized that he was 6 months (or so) in to this journey, and I was 15. A full 6 months ahead of him when it came to our new normal. Better late than never.

New undies

This weekend, Nick and I headed to Chicago for our first baby free weekend to celebrate the marriage of two great friends. Yes. Baby Free. For the first time, since baby B took up residence in my belly, I was away from him.

We rushed to get ourselves together and packed and managed to get the suitcases closed and in the car. I quickly said goodbye to my mom and to B and then got in.  I'm not going to lie, when we pulled out of the driveway, on our way to the airport, I had tears in my eyes. Nick knew that I wasn't ok, and made small talk with my dad in the front seat, while I calmed myself down. I felt like the best and worst mom all at once. I felt good because I knew that he would be ok (seriously, I survived, so my parents obviously know what they're doing) but felt terrible because I was leaving my baby boy for a WHOLE WEEKEND, which included two nights without his momma.

Once I composed myself, I was pleasantly surprised that I (for the most part), returned to my normal self. I felt my batteries recharging, I felt myself relax. I say relax, but if you have ever traveled with me, you know that relaxation is a relative term when it comes to exploring new spaces.

On the flight home, I had some time to think and realized that the the two-ish days that I was away from B, were very important for many reasons. They let me reconnect with Nick and with myself, which will ultimately let me be a better momma to B. My previous "normal" was now strange in a way. I only had a small purse when I left the hotel instead of three bags and a baby. I was only responsible for getting myself dressed and ready, although I'm apparently a little rusty as it turned out that I forgot to pack underwear. Thankfully, we were in a civilized city and Nick is fully capable of going to Walgreens and picking out an acceptable three-pack for the both of us. Despite the minor mishap, I have to say that it felt good to reconnect with the pre-parent versions of ourselves and with each other.

At the wedding reception, wearing our new undies under our fancy clothes

Although the tiny human was never far from our thoughts and we missed him terribly, we took great care not to discuss him 24/7. I think this is extremely important so that we don't lose ourselves and each other in being the best parents that we can be. Eventually, it will be back to just the two of us and I want to be sure we still have stuff to talk about. It was also important because it gave B time to spend with his Grammy and Grampy, who don't live close enough to just pop in and visit. They got to take him antiquing and out to ice cream and to brunch, and they had him all to themselves. Knowing the fun that they were having, and feeling their excitement, made it much easier for me to be away.

When our flight landed, I was ready to see B. We picked our bags up and I walked out to anxiously wait for my parents to bring the car around. When I saw my baby recognize me, I felt my heart swell. That moment of recognition was hard to describe, but seeing him see me was so very cool.

When we got back the house and I picked him up, I felt right. He did too. There was no hesitation, he just knew. Maybe he didn't miss me until that moment, and that is ok. I hope that he was having so much fun that he didn't realize I was gone until I was back.

I don't think I realized how out of whack I was until I wasn't anymore. The few days away to just be me renewed my perspective and helped me reconnect and recenter. This feeling is something that I'm going to try to remember so that when I need some time for me, even if its just a few minutes, I take it.

Organization

In an effort to get my massive camera roll of photos under control, I just reorganized into albums. I can tell that chaos has become my normal because the feeling that I got when I saw the albums, all in a row, labeled with "Month One, Month Two", etc. just made me so happy. It also helped organize my thoughts because I am WAY behind on my baby book. Thank goodness that I'm snap happy, so I can scroll back and remember what we've been up to lately. I just need to figure out what I'm going to do with these little snippets of memories. I'm really bad at printing and hanging, because I want to hang all of the pictures EVERYWHERE and never take them down. Maybe I'll load them onto a Flash drive and put them in my digital frames. Or maybe, I'll just scroll through them in all of their organized glory.