Akayla's First Halloween

We had such a fun time celebrating Halloween this year. I think I lost some of the thrill for Halloween when I was about 12 or 13 years old but I can honestly say that Akayla has given me a new found excitement to celebrate holidays. Even though we didn't take Akayla trick or treating, I did want to dress her up so she could help me give out candy.

We dressed up as...drum roll please...late 80's/early 90's workout/aerobic gals.

We had a great, and memorable, first Halloween with Akayla.

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3 months...

I can't believe how fast the past month went...Akayla is already 3 and a half months old. Here is her three month picture and a few tidbits...

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An Extra Day of Halloween Fun...

Well...I can't believe it...we get an extra day of Halloween. Yes, here in the Indianapolis 'burbs and surrounding areas, trick or treating will happen on November 1st! A late fall storm has caused a ton of rain and wind and, because of this, they are postponing trick or treating.

While driving to the store today I thought to myself...gosh if Akayla was of age to trick or treat I think I would somehow convince her to stay at home and help pass out candy. In return for forfeiting her night of treats, I would promise her all of the leftover candy that didn't get used (which...on a rainy night...I would have to assume not many kids would be out...so this could result in a boatload of candy!). Do you think she would go for it?? The thought of trick or treating in the rain would really be no fun, would it??

Little did I know at that time, they had already postponed trick or treating in most communities in our area because of the weather. I had no idea they would do such a thing. I definitely think it's best but what do the children think?? Can they stand to wait another day to get their candy fix?? Having grown up in Michigan I am no stranger to bad weather, in fact, I can even remember years when it snowed on Halloween. I honestly can't remember if trick or treating was ever postponed though.

Nevertheless we will enjoy our extra day of Halloween here...

Tomorrow we will be dressed in costume and ready to greet the neighborhood kids. Happy Halloween!

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Breastfeeding Must Haves...

Well...today Akayla is officially three months old! It's crazy how fast the time goes and to see how quickly she is growing. I hope to have her three month picture up this week. We are dealing with our first cold here today...and I use the word cold loosely. I'm not sure what's going on with this little one. When she woke up for her mid-night feeding she began choking and gagging on what seemed to be a post-nasal drip (I too felt the onset of a cold...yuck!) Nevertheless it was an interesting night and morning. As I was getting her dressed she began projectile vomiting. Scary!! I sit here now waiting for the doctor's office to call me back. Thankfully Akayla doesn't have a fever and is now peacefully napping. I decided to finish this post I started two weeks ago on breastfeeding to keep me occupied while I anxiously wait for the phone to ring (Doctor's office doesn't seem to have the urgency I do!).

Since I am a little behind on my posts this month...and since her second month must haves are about the same as the first month, I thought I would do a post on Breastfeeding Must Haves instead.

Breastfeeding Must Haves

1. My Breast Friend Breastfeeding Pillow. I honestly had never heard of this product until it was recommended to me by a few friends when I created my registry. It's similar to the Boppy Pillow, which I also have and use on a regular basis, but is much better for nursing because it is "wearable" and has a velcro strap so you can position the pillow at the perfect height.

2. Breast Milk Storage Bags. If you plan to breastfeed you must get a breast pump. More on that below (#6). These plastic storage bags seem to be the easiest and most convenient way to store milk. I have used the Lansinoh brand and the generic Target brand. They seem to work equally as well so I recommend whatever you can get cheapest. They work in both the refrigerator and freezer. Since I haven't used these bags to actually transport the milk (ie. to daycare), I can't comment on how well they hold up for that yet.

3. Nursing Bras. I was hesitant to buy nursing bras. I really didn't want to spend any more money on pregnancy related clothes. After a trip to Target though before I delivered, I decided to buy two nursing bras. One was this awesome (and super cute!) Gilligan & O'Malley nursing bra. I quickly found that I was going to want, and need, to wear nursing bras on a regular basis. They are so much easier to use then a regular bra when trying to nurse, especially in public. When I first got home from the hospital I wore robes around the house A LOT. It was comfy and, most importantly, made for easy access to breastfeed. But as soon as I wanted to start getting out of the house, and having guests over, I found I needed clothes and bras that would make breastfeeding easier. I went back to Target and bought two more of these bras in different colors because they were so comfortable and reasonably priced.

4. Nursing Cover. In the past I would always see nursing mother's using a blanket for privacy. I always thought that was weird. Thankfully I learned that they make these adorable nursing covers now. Definitely a must have.

5. Button Up Shirts. Similar to #3 above, I really didn't want to spend any more money on pregnancy related clothes but I quickly learned that the "right clothes" can make your nursing experience so much easier. I have bought a number of new non-maternity button up shirts. I figure I will get a lot of use out of them now but can continue to wear them even when I'm done breastfeeding. I also needed some flowy shirts after giving birth to disguise my stomach area. Thankfully there are some really cute button up shirts out there right now and many (denim and plaid) that are really in style.

6. Electric Breast Pump. This, along with everything on my list, are items I feel are must haves. Have woman gotten by without a lot of these items in the past? Yes, I'm sure they have. But I wanted to put together a list of things that can make breastfeeding easier. Things that I was happy to have. A breast pump is one of those things. Best part, most insurance companies cover the cost of the breast pump now. Call your insurance company before you finalize your gift registry (and before you deliver). If they will cover it then you don't need to register for it. My insurance company wouldn't issue it until I delivered and it required me to purchase it through a medical device store/supplier. I didn't get to choose the brand. I was given the Hygeria Q and so far it has been working well. I honestly haven't had to use it regularly yet but will once I get ready to go back to work.

7. Nursing pads. Where do I even start? This is another product that I had heard I would need but I had no idea how much I was actually going to need these and how important finding the right ones can be. Boy was I naive! I started with the Lansinoh disposable pads, which came as a recommendation from a fellow blogger, and I can honestly say I hated them. They were so uncomfortable and made me even more sore. Next I tried the Nuk brand pads that were re-usable. Those were hardly any better. They were so stiff and scratchy. Next I tried Organic Cotton re-usable/washable pads that my mother in law helped me find at Babies R Us. I loved them! They were super soft. I liked them so much I bought two more packs. My only problem with these is that, on a few occasions, they haven't held up and I have leaked through them. Talk about embarrassing! So, while I still use the Organic Cotton pads everyday, I started doing a little online research and read a lot of positive reviews about the Bamboobies brand pads. I decided to order a pair from Amazon. They have worked well and so far prove to be "leak proof" and soft. They, unfortunately, are expensive though so I probably won't be ordering too many more. I will continue to use the Bamboobies and Organic Cotton nursing pads. Another key I learned, and would pass along to other first time mom's, is to make sure you change the pads out regularly. Often times you won't even know you leaked but if you let the pad dry, after being wet, it gets stiff and can cause some serious discomfort. Sorry, probably TMI...but I wish someone had told me this before I had to learn the hard way.

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2 Months...

Here is Akayla's two month picture and fun tidbits.

**Her weight and height were from her appointment on September 20th. The picture was taken a few days late because of our move.

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My Oh My...

Where has the time gone?!?! I can honestly say this has been the craziest 12 weeks of my life. 11 weeks ago today, we were bleesed with the most amazing gift anyone could ask for...a healthy baby. If that wasn't enough...we also listed and sold our condo. For those of you that haven't had the pleasure of selling a home...or have forgotten the joys that come along with listing a property...it is A LOT of work! I don't recommend it when you are 9 months pregnant. We also just moved across the country. Yes...all this in the past 12 weeks! I guess you may understand why it's been almost a month since my last post. I promise to post more pictures soon.

We are in the process of unpacking boxes and trying to get our new home as organized as possible without making ourselves too much at home. We are just renting and hope and plan (fingers crossed!) to buy a home by next spring, after we get more familiar with the area.

If that wasn't enough, I am also on a mad hunt to find daycare since I will be going back to work at the end of November. I had no idea how time consuming this search would be. I am researching, doing more research, calling, touring...this is a job in itself!

We have headed 2,000 miles East...leaving our beloved San Diego (where we spent almost 9 fun filled years!) to make Indianapolis our new home.

Thanks for your patience...please check back again soon. Pin It

1 Month...

Akyala is already 7 weeks old, so I am a little behind on this post but, nevertheless, here is her picture and fun tidbits.

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