Cartophobia

I have a fear of shopping carts. Not really, but they are so gross.  I have seen kids fall out of them (seriously! It's horrifying.), barf on them, lick them, wipe their boogers on them, etc. This is all in addition to the nasty germs that we grown-ups spread on them just by using the handles. Yuck.

I am by no means a germaphobe, but once I became a mama, I gained a whole new appreciation for nasty, germ-infested things (like the pediatrician's waiting room- you take them in for one thing, and they catch all the other bugs going around, fun!).  I stocked up on hand sanitizer, wiped down everything I could that would go into the baby's mouth, and made sure that we all washed our hands often.

Guess what?  Both little ones have still gotten sick. It is unavoidable. But I like to think that they have gotten sick less than they would have if I wasn't so crazy.

Now that our first son isn't a baby anymore (tears), I have to get used to the idea of him getting dirty sometimes. It just goes with the territory of being two and a half. He is also around other kids a lot more, so he is exposed to many more germs. I have accepted this (I guess). But the one thing that I am still not ok with is him sitting in one of those nasty shopping carts unless I wipe it down and put a cover on it.  Some of my friends think I'm nuts and that he is too old for this, but I don't care. As long as he will let me, I am sticking to my guns and covering up that dreaded seat. Luckily for us both, they have such cute shopping cart covers now, that even big boys will probably agree to sitting in one.  Here is the one we have, which covers up high chairs (also germ infested!) as well:

This cover is by itzyritzy, and they make such cute stuff!!  I love their carseat covers, wet happened bags and nursing covers too.

One last thing about shopping carts: up until a few months ago, I thought that balancing an infant seat on top of a cart was the safe way to shop with a small baby.  Then I learned that this is risky, and that baby can easily topple off.  So scary. Now I shop with the baby in his car seat in the big part of the cart, or in a baby sling, and our big boy in the covered seat in the front.  It doesn't leave much room for groceries or goodies at Target, but that keeps me from spending too much, so that's a good thing! ;)

Ok, rant over.  Happy shopping everyone!

WANT. THIS.

The baby is going to be 6 months old in 2 days. How did THAT happen?  I swear I just had him a few weeks ago!!!

Anyway, with the 1/2 a year mark comes solid food time.  Up until this point, he has been exclusively on boobie milk, so I am excited to see what he thinks of cereal, fruit and veggies.  And I'm looking into purchasing a Babycook so I can make our own organic babyfood.  Any pros or cons about this product?  It's pricey, so I want to make sure it is worth it before I splurge.  With our older son, I made some of his food, but the old-fashioned way, and it took forever.  I love the idea of one appliance that will steam, puree, etc.  Please tell me that you love this product and that I should buy it!!!!

To Swaddle or Not to Swaddle, That is the Question.....

Well of course the answer is YES in our house. Our babies (and most babies I have heard) LOVE to be swaddled. It makes them feel safe, and keeps the startle reflex from waking them up. Dr. Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block (a Godsend and must read for any new parent, imho) highly recommends swaddling to help baby sleep. Since our first son was a sleeping champ from day one, we planned on doing all the same things that had worked with him, including swaddling, with Baby #2.

He is a pretty good sleeper also, although not quite as unbelievable as his big brother. I can't complain though, because he is still much better than the average 5 month old.  I guess we were just so spoiled the first time around that we think he doesn't sleep for long enough stretches at night. When I asked our pediatrician why he was still getting up once (or twice) a night to eat, he basically laughed at me and replied, "Because he's hungry!" He also told me that most babies his age only sleep about 6-7 hour stretches, and that is considered "sleeping through the night". This was news to me, as our older son slept 12 hours straight (and napped for two hours TWICE during the day) at this age. No wonder the other mommies at Gymboree hated me when I would tell them that...

Anyway, I am getting way off topic. I am supposed to be talking about swaddling. We LOVE swaddling. I am a big fan of several swaddling blankets, but baby #2 was/is quite the Houdini and was able to get out of many of them. Then I found the Miracle Blanket, which I love. However, now that my monkey is bigger, he can get out of that one too. Such a bummer, because I was sure it was unescapable. The thing is, though, that the miracle blanket's website, and many other mommies, recommend discontinuing swaddling at about 4 months. So once he could get out of it, and he was almost 5 months old, I figured it was time, even though we had swaddled baby #1 until he was 6.5 months. Well, baby #2 was PISSED. He would not sleep and clearly was waking himself up when he was not swaddled. I was able to find two swaddling options that are for longer babies (you can find them here and here), and they really are IMPOSSIBLE to get out of. My question is, is it dangerous to keep swaddling him at this point? He will be 6 months old on July 7. He can roll over very well, but he never does when he is swaddled. I am afraid of him getting stuck if he rolls when swaddled, but then again, he needs to sleep (and so do we) so I think he needs it for a little while longer. The doctor says it is ok, as long as we are diligent about checking on him to make sure he doesn't get stuck face down. Hmmm- that doesn't give me the best feeling.

Anyone else swaddle their baby past the 5 month mark?? He has to be able to fall asleep eventually without being in a "baby burrito", so should I force the issue now? With our older son it was so easy.  One day, all the swaddlers were dirty, so he went to sleep without one and he never looked back. Our new little man seems like he is not going to give this up without a fight! Help!

Got Cradle Cap?

Cradle cap is gross. It's also harmless. Nevertheless, it bugged me. Especially when it was time for 3 month portraits. I literally tried almost EVERY product to get rid of it, with both babies, to no avail, unitl now. I finally know the cure! Yay! With my older son, I never found the solution, so until he outgrew it, I just had him in a lot of different hats. Our new baby's cradle cap is even more stubborn than his older brother's though.  So fun!

Cradle cap is basically baby dandruff, but it sticks to their scalp instead of flaking off. It's caused by the hormones in the womb or something like that. (Sorry, babies!) Again, it is harmless, and I know, I know, there are worse things in life to worry about, but whatevs! It basically looks like dried orange juice on top of baby's head, so it freaked me out at the first time I saw it! After being told (over and over) by the doctor that it wasn't some awful disease or anything, I was reassured, but then just wanted to GET RID OF IT. I have heard that dandruff shampoos, like Head and Shoulders, work, but that just seemed too harsh for baby's delicate and sensitive skin. So I tried tons of different home remedies, lotions, creams, oils, etc. Many didn't work at all, and the others worked for a day or so, but then the flakes would be back with a vengeance.  After tons of experimenting, I finally found the cure, at least for my little monkey. Here's what you do to get rid of the dreaded cap:

1.  Apply a thin layer of Mustela Stelaker on the scalp before baby goes to sleep at night.

2.  In the morning, rub organic Calendula oil on the scalp, applying liberally to any areas where you can actually see the sticky flakes. Let it sit for about 20-30 minutes to soften the skin.

3.  Use a "cradle cap" brush (I used the Bean-B-Clean and it worked great) to gently brush the flakes off baby's head. The brush is super soft, so it doesn't hurt them (like using a comb might), but works surprisingly well.

4.  Finally, use Bella Bee Gone Cradle Cap shampoo to wash baby's hair.  All the oil will get washed away, and the cradle cap will be gone! YAY!! An added bonus, the shampoo smells great!

We did this routine twice in one week, and now just use the cradle cap shampoo and brush in the bath, and the cradle cap has stayed away for almost a month!

Yay for no more hats!  Especially since my baby has a huge old melon like his brother and it is hard to find hats that fit anyway!!! ;)

Thank Heaven for Little Boys

How freaking cute is this kid??




LOVE it!!!!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words?

First, my dilemma.... to post pictures of my family on here or not?  I wanted this to be a pretty anonymous blog, and plus I am worried about my kiddos' safety.... My hubby is in a high-profile line of work, so I'm not sure that it is smart to include photos and/or identifying information on here.... though we both have FB accounts, and we post plenty of photos on there.  Hmmm.... any thoughts?  Should I post photos of them, just not their full names?  I really would love any input you have!

I've gone back and forth many times with this... I want this to be a true "diary" of our life as a family, and I would love to have this blog full of pictures so my boys can have it as a online scrapbook of sorts one day. Then again, what if they don't want their pictures on here?  And I doubt they will appreciate my detailed accounts of potty-training them being on the internet when they are 13!  So I just don't know.

While I think about it more, here are some photos I have taken recently with my new love.

*Disclaimer: I know NOTHING about photography and am just playing around with this amazing camera.  I am hoping to take a class on using my DSLR this summer.  Until then, youtube has been teaching me the absolute basics.  So no mean comments on my lack of skills, please!  I will get better with time!!

Here are some non-face pics of my little angels:

Showing off a new teething toy he picked out for the baby.

Yummy toes

Such long fingers, just like his big brother.

And now, some non-kid pictures I took while playing around with the settings on my camera:

My Aching Head

I have been having the WORST headaches on and off for the last few weeks... I'm not sure if they are migraines or not, but they are brutal.  Since I am nursing, I'm not sure of what to take.  Any ideas, mamas?  So far I have been just using ibuprofen and it is just not cutting it. :(  Help!