Top eleven most awesome baby things (for us)

I've been meaning to write up my top ten list for baby's first year for awhile now. It's been gnawing at the back of my mind because when I was pregnant, all I wanted (besides to be able to see into the future) was a comprehensive, searchable database of everything that my mom and dad friends loved to use/have in their baby's first year. I wanted links to the products and short descriptions of why these things were life changing. I found a lot of the things below on my own and some were recommended, but all of these made bringing Ivan home, taking care of him and taking care of us, better.

1. Chicco Keyfit 30 - this infant carrier is the best ever. It came highly recommended by our friends N+A and it was the first thing I bought for Ivan. The day before he was born. Have I mentioned that we weren't incredibly prepared and that Ivan was a tad early? This car seat has great safety reviews, people reviews and is the easiest car sear I have ever used. Ivan left the hospital shy of 5 lbs. and the nurses told me that this was undoubtedly the best car seat for preemies (it is one of the few that says it is safe for babies as small as 4 lbs.). It has a padded insert that really got Ivan all comfy cozy in there. I'm also a huge fan of infant carriers - even though you can go the convertible car seat route - because you don't have to disturb sleeping babies, you just bring the car seat in, loosen the straps and baby keeps sleeping. Also, because it is so easy to snap into the base or seatbelt in - we'd leave the carrier with Ivan's care provider and Dad, Nana, Gramps, Grandma Ruby or me - anyone could pick him and the carrier up.

2. Medela Pump in Style - best breast pump for our lifestyle. I actually bought it off someone that used it for less than a month and just replaced the tubes. I began pumping hours after the c-section and continued every three hours, 24/7, for about two weeks. The hospital grade pumps in the NICU were awesome (= most efficient) and I came home to this pump, which was still pretty nice (nothing compares to the hospital pumps and they run about $800, I hear). What made it work so well is that everything fit in the tote bag, the side just opens (and creates a small counter) to plug into the pump and it came with the perfect cooler - fits four bottles with a contoured ice pack. I think this pump is the reason that I was able to nurse and provide Ivan with milk for as long as I did, so two thumbs up!

3. Dr. Browns Bottles - these might be more subjective, as these were the bottles that the NICU started us on and they worked, so why mess with a good thing? I'm finding it surprising that we didn't get the nipples and tops for the Medela bottles that I was pumping into, but the Dr. Browns made sense at the time. I have no idea if they worked better than any other bottles, but they are BPA free and with their fancy interior contraption, they claim to reduce the air that babies get, resulting in less gassy, fussy babies. Ivan wasn't gassy or fussy and we liked using these - even with the extra parts. They are also available with glass bottles, for those who want to steer clear of plastic. Oh, he also liked the nipples and didn't have any nipple confusion, so that was great.

4. Pack 'n Play - remember how we didn't have anything for Ivan when he came home? We actually borrowed a pack 'n play from Kami. She had this smaller version, which fit the smaller Ivan and fit in our bedroom really well. As he grew, we obtained three more regular sized pack 'n plays and they've been super useful. In our lifestyle, Ivan slept in a pack 'n play until he was six months old and we moved in with my parents, who still had my crib. Currently, my mom has one, C's mom has one and we have one to travel with (should have taken it to the recent wedding!). It's a portable napping station/containment device - so great!

5. Lily Padz - these should probably be number one, for me at least, because these let me be human while nursing. These made me comfortable doing anything while nursing and are worth every cent I spent on them. What are they? Adhesive silicone nursing pads. Like, they stick to you and create slight suction and you RARELY leak, like almost never. They don't slide around and they don't grow bacteria and they're reusable and they are the most wonderful thing ever. If I was going to the Oscars and wearing a backless dress, I'd wear these. Just saying. I actually wore them almost 24/7 for at least six months and then during the day until we stopped nursing. I want to buy stock in these.

6. Aden + Anais Muslin Swaddle Blankets - I originally wanted these because they were "cool." Even though they seemed overpriced. Sometimes I'm shallow. However, these have earned their rap as the go-to blanket. I'm not sure we ever even swaddled Ivan with these - he could conquer any swaddle. But as lightweight blankets, nursing covers and security blankets, these are so great! They come in a variety of patterns, are so soft (get softer with washing), always wash clean and white (yellow baby poop, anyone?), are huge (but not in the way) and breathable. For those type-A moms, they are perfectly square and fold beautifully. Here's the thing - Ivan is two and a half and one of these lives at grandma Ruby's, one at daycare and the other two here at home - we're still using them two and half years later and through all of the abuse, they are in great condition!

7. Changing table - disclaimer: this is not essential for everyone and I have friends that hate these. However, we found a changing table in the basement when we moved into our house (yes, we really used it) and C painted it glossy blue and it has been awesome. We've always had Ivan in a small space and usually this space has held a pack 'n play or crib, chest of drawers and his changing table. The changing table has held a changing pad (these covers or these are great!), wipes, diapers, burp cloths, bedding, blankets, extra wipes and diapers, shoes, socks, cloth diapers, etc. So, basically everything. We recently put it in storage at two and a half years, but I'm already missing the open storage and the pop of blue in Ivan's room.

8. Baby Bjorn and Ergo carriers - are these competitors? I have no idea. And I'm merely recommending the carriers that worked for us - really, babywearing (I think that is what it's called?) is awesome and I wish we would have utilized it even more. So, the Baby Bjorn was given to us and it was perfect for a tiny Ivan - the tall back offered neck support when Ivan was facing in and folded down when we faced him out as he grew. C actually used this the most as he was caring for Ivan during the days and redecking our 500 square foot porch. The Bjorn was so comfortable when Ivan was small and then we bought the Ergo so that we could also wear him on our backs. The Ergo is also very comfortable - especially with the supportive waist belt and a heavier child. I think we used this one up until Ivan was two, but I know that you can get an infant insert for tiny babies.

9. Swing, Vibrating Chair, Bouncer, Rocker - doesn't matter which one or two, it's just great to have somewhere safe to put the baby when you need to take a shower or put anything on the stove. There is a good chance that any given baby is going to prefer one over the other - Ivan could fall asleep in his swing, but didn't in his vibrating chair (liked it though). These seem a little short lived, so we liked to pick them up at garage sales. As Ivan got older, bouncers were great at letting his feet skim the floor, amusing him and keeping him contained - yay! At one time, we had a bouncer upstairs and downstairs because he loved them so much.

10. Baby Bullet - this might seem superfluous, we just found it very handy and useful. We're also fans of the Magic Bullet, so there is that. C made Ivan his first pureed meal - Thanksgiving, and he had turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy blended together - it tasted great! So we continued feeding Ivan whatever we were eating, spices and all, blended to a consistency that he could manage. The other great thing about this set is the silicone bullet shaped tray you can freeze - we'd do this and pop the bullets out into a ziploc bag and then thaw them later to feed Ivan. This whole process was simple and created delicious, nutritious, quick meals for him.

11. Burp Cloths - you can use anything and you can buy the cheap ones at Walmart. Just don't. Get good, thick, absorbent, brightly colored burp cloths. They aren't disposable, they're washable and totally worth the cost. Fifteen brightly colored burp cloths lasted the entire time I needed them - rarely stained, washed great and because they were so bright, I never lost one!

It seems like that top eleven really tells the story of Ivan's first year! Hope it helps someone.

Will it be Here in Time for Christmas?

AnneR,

Your order for 1 Test Tube Baby on 12/06/2010 has been recently shipped via SMARTPOST.

Your tracking number is: 0000

Your tracking number may not show in the online tracking system for a couple of days, so don't panic.

Your order may contain multiple packages that arrive on different days. If you don't receive your entire order at the same time, please wait a couple of days after you receive your first package before contacting us at X.

For future reference, your order number is: 0000.

[This was the email in my inbox about a week and a half ago. C thought it was so funny that I should "post it to your blog where people know about us." I'm sure he wanted you all to see the humor as well. He especially couldn't contain his laughter regarding "Your order may contain multiple packages." This email actually refers to a tee shirt I couldn't resist ordering from Woot.com called Test Tube Baby. Go figure.]

- Posted from my mobile phone

Spring Snow

Happy Spring, Everyone!

We got snow. Drifting, freezing, flaking, icy, slippery, cold snow. The white kind, unless you look in the backyard. I was super surprised to wake to the blanket of snow on Saturday morning. Perhaps because it was over 60 degrees on Thursday and Friday. It is the KS weather.

Following are pics of the most recent snowfall.

Which, if you live in this state, you are probably sick of.

From the front door, towards the street. Those are antlers on the bench. Squirrels like to nibble on them. Just sayin'. Oh, and the cream colored house across the street is getting a much needed face lift - which means one eye sore down, only five or six on the block to go!

Front steps with only my tracks. We don't like to leave in the snow. And really, why leave the house if you don't have to?

Pink Christmas pants from sister B, snow boots that I had *almost* put away, and sunk down into the snow practically to the top of said boots. Fun times.

The dog tracks, porch, truck. Lots more snow than I was expecting.

Laudable Accomplishments

Both C and I have achieved something cool relatively recently. I wasn't sure if I mentioned it or not. I don't have any pictures of these accomplishments, so you'll just have to believe me!

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C received his license in December, which means that he is now an official LS - Licensed Surveyor. This is wonderful because now he is recognized by the state board and can sign off on his own work. He can make more decisions and is actually more useful to his company (not that I am sure that is possible). Therefore, his company is now compromised of THREE licensed surveyors and an instrument/draftsman. What this means when they bid jobs is that, without exception, the hiring clients know that a licensed surveyor will be in the field making on-the-spot decisions - and this is very desirable. I'm so proud of C for taking this step because the testing process is difficult and very inconvenient. He had to have eight years of experience and a degree (which is going to be a problem for future surveyors in our state, as C was the last graduate of the only now-defunct program in our state) before he could even sit for the first part (eight hours) of the licensing exam. The exam is only given every April and October, and since he passed the first part, he was able to take the second and third parts (combined eight hours) six months later. The percentage of people that pass any part of this exam the first time looks to be less than 50%. He passed the second part by a small margin, so he had to wait another six months (and study) before he could take the third part again. That occurred this past October (so it was a year and a half process in all) and we received his license in December. We are all so very proud of him for achieving this goal! I'm still looking for the perfect frame for his license, even knowing that it will probably just go on the wall at his office.

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My almost-accomplishment has been in the works since November or December as well. While I was looking for a new job during those months, I stumbled upon a teaching opportunity, and even though I knew it would be more of a second job type thing, I applied. Since then, I have gone through a phone interview, a group interview, a panel interview, a four week certification course, a certification test, and am now, finally, at the last segment: teaching the course. It depends on how well I teach as to whether or not I get the job, but I have to teach the five week course for them to accept me as faculty or to tell me thanks, but no thank you.

I am teaching an in-person class for a university that is better known for it's online aspect. I am set to teach a humanities course to undergraduates beginning Thursday. My master's degree is what has enabled me to seek this position and I assume that my charming wit and personality are what has kept the hiring faculty's attention for this long. I've been absorbing massive amounts of information about how to teach (facilitate) a class and tons of procedures and policies. I'm also in the midst of cramming the subject matter into my already-spinning brain. I admit that I am anxious and stressed out about teaching, but I think that there will be adequate pay-offs if I make faculty and the intangible rewards will be great.

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So, we are both moving up and around in our fields - trying to accomplish things and always trying to fix up this life of ours!

The One About Shoes

This post may initially seem shallow and superficial, but it isn't. Not completely.

Shoes are important here. We protect our feet from rough terrain, too smooth ice, slippery surfaces, the heat and the cold, and we do so with SHOES!

While it is nice to have the fashionably, pretty shoes, it probably goes without saying that C and I go for function over fashion most days.

So, after months of searching for some good shoes with little results, I finally found some that I love. Which resulted in the purchase of three pairs. A big shout-out to the Tradehome store - I always find shoes that I love there. As opposed to Off Broadway Shoes, where I usually regret my purchases and the pain they cause my feet.

Oh, and I have very, very good taste in shoes, as far as the supportive ones go.

In the montage above, we have Earth Shoes (the brown leather shoe shoes), J-41s (which are shoes made out of Jeep tires and designed by Jeep), and Merrells (the brown leather/suede mary janes). I've done some research into Earth Shoes (popular in the 70s) and they are supposed to be designed to support women as they walk using the reverse heel technology (the heel has less of a sole than the ball of the shoe). They feel weird, but they make me stand up straight and the leather is so pretty and wonderful. The J-41 shoes are more of summer sandals, although since they have a covered toe, I can wear them to work. They have the most comfortable foot bed! And they are made by Jeep, out of Jeeps - so is there a more perfect shoe for this family? The Merrells are just wonderful - I've had my eye on these for almost nine months and there they were - the last pair and on sale! Both sister B and I have Merrell jungle mocs that have lasted us six or seven year - and mine have survived a puppy named Bella's teething (last pair of shoes she ever touched!). We love them. Merrell just makes good shoes.

A very cool picture. My slippers are the ones on the right and they are awesome. They are lined and have a real gum sole. C found these and got them for me for Christmas after I begged for a pair of LLBean slippers. These are so much better! Only one downfall: I can't wear them outside and definitely not into the garage where different chemicals on the floor can eat through the gum soles. C's slippers are on the left and they are almost as cool. They are much cheaper and much more functional because he is really hard on slippers. But he likes his too - especially when he's letting the dogs out at 6:30am every morning.

A needed close-up of the Jeep sandals. So very very cool. I may even wear them with socks just to experience them even sooner that the weather will allow. Don't tell anyone.

Where Did All EIGHT of Those Years Go?

For your viewing pleasure, I went through the pictures on my computer and found the OLDEST ones of C and me. Why? Because we are celebrating (or, probably not celebrating) the EIGHT year anniversary of when we started dating today. October 27th is the day that I told C that this whole friends-thing we were trying to pull off just wasn't working for me. And then I kissed him. And we were "officially" dating. That's how these things work in my world.

That said, the best pictures are probably film and in a plastic bin in the other room and since I have a newer laptop (thanks, Mom!), I don't have everything on here. We're going to work with it, though.

R, me, and C in the summertime. I'm guessing it was May or June of 2002. Since I basically dated both of them from the get-go, it is fitting that the earliest photograph I can find is of the three of us. Mom and Dad's backyard, on the trampoline, after church. I've got some funnier ones of R jumping if anyone is interested.

July 2002 at the museum in KC. Yes, I love him. Couldn't tell you why I am wearing the same shirt as the picture before though. Maybe I really really liked it? Anyway, C is just so cute. We went up to KC with Mom, Dad, sister, and some family friends. It was a fun time.

I love this picture. This was probably around March/April of 2003. That bundle of fur is baby Bella, if you can believe it. For those of you that don't know, Bella has a story about why we have her and it is part tragedy, and more parts love. She came into our lives when we most needed her. We were showing her off to my parents in this picture and in the upper left corner, you can see an old family picture on the wall featuring just me and Dad. How funny. Mom, how long has that pillow that Bella's wrapped up in been in the family?

This was a little bit later in 2003, not sure when. But it fully exposes you to the ever changing hair and facial hair of the one I love. He's so funny. I don't think I let him wear those khakis anymore, but I'm sure he still has them.

No telling what would have happened if I wouldn't have amped this relationship up a notch eight years ago. But I am sure glad that I did. To put it in perspective, I had a ring on my finger a little over seven months after this October 27, 2001 date.

A Saturday in the Sun

I declared this past weekend a Family Weekend.

Which means that you have to spend time with your family doing family activities (i.e. not Jeep activities with your buddies in the garage for the entire 48 hours of the weekend). C and I cleaned his 55 gallon fish tank on Saturday. The only issue was that the hose (aka Boris's play toy) was used to wash the tank. But the dogs were fine and spent most of the day in the backyard, like usual:

Tug-of-war with a Chiefs football. The neighbor kids are so great about sharing their toys with the dogs.

He may get on my nerves, but Boris sure is a looker. He can be really sweet and calm too, while he's waiting for you to kick the ball . . .

Bella not getting ready to bark at some of the neighbor kids. She never does stuff like that.

Me. Because whenever I see people lately, they keep telling me how long my hair is getting. Which is good, because I plan on donating it to Locks of Love in the spring. Fauxhawk, here I come! Oh dear, I just looked closer at that picture - I look a lot like sister B . . . Fun times!

Surgery was a Success

As mentioned in the previous post, I went in for a diagnostic outpatient surgery yesterday. I wanted to let you all know that I am doing really well afterwards and how the surgery went. For those of you that are squeamish or don't care to read about my reproductive going ons, just know that surgery went really well, I am recovering surprisingly quickly, and that the doctor was able to find and fix some things that may or may not have been hindering us in conceiving. For those that enjoy the nitty gritty details, please keep reading.

I found it surprising that October 15th was Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day (as declared by President Reagan in 1988). As most of you know, we lost our first pregnancy in February 2007 at 11 weeks, and since then have had a lot of difficulty in getting pregnant again. We currently see a wonderful Reproductive Endocrinologist, Dr. G, who has the task of helping us get pregnant. I wasn't thinking about the Remembrance Day until a family friend sent me an email. I saw it as fitting because none of us forget the pregnancies, babies, or children we lose. And this day came on the eve of a surgery intended to possibly help us get pregnant again.

I was nervous going into surgery because I've only ever had one other surgery and when I went into that surgery I was pregnant and when I came out, I was no longer pregnant, but was gifted with an unexpected raging infection. But, you see, Dr. G is a wonderful doctor: confident, proficient, conservative in practice, somewhat charming, and his goal is help us establish a successful pregnancy. Besides, he's done this surgery hundreds of times and I was and am sure that I am in incredibly capable hands with him. I was scheduled to have a diagnostic laparoscopy and hysterscopy. I actually did not have to have the hysteroscopy (where they look into your uterus with a scope) done because Dr. G had performed a sonohystogram in his office early last week. That procedure enabled him to inject saline solution into my uterus and the solution would highly define any scar tissue, cysts, fibroids, adhesions, or anything else out of place when he then used the sonogram wand to look into the uterus. As usual, my uterus looked fine (and believe you me - both the doctor and I have seen it on the sonogram screen enough times to know when it looks okay AND I've never had anything unusual in there anyway) and the doctor probably saved us some money by doing the different procedure in the office instead of the hysteroscopy while I was under anesthesia in surgery.

A diagnostic laparoscopy (and I'll provide a comprehensive link if that helps) is when the doctor makes two tiny incisions in the abdomen - one in the belly button and another right below the bikini line and is then able to insert a small scope (camera) to get a good look in there. He then fills the abdominal cavity with gas so that he can see exactly what is going on in there and so that he has room to work. For fertility purposes, the doctor is looking for endometriosis, scar tissue, cysts, fibroids, or again, anything else unusual that could be hindering my reproductive health. Almost anything he finds at this point can be fixed by cutting and cauterizing. I am then left with two tiny incisions that have to heal up. Easy peasey.

C was able to get the full explanation (with pictures!) of what the doctor found and treated and I got an abbreviated version as I was coming out from anesthesia. We really went into this surgery hoping that the doctor found something and that it was fixable, but we also knew there was a chance that he wouldn't find anything and that everything would look good - which would still leave our fertility issues unexplained. Fortunately, the doctor DID find some things and was able to treat them! First, there were about six small spots (they call them implants) of endometriosis on the top and outside of my uterus. Since the endometrial tissue is so blood laden, the doctor needed to slice the implants off and then cauterize the sights. He said these implants may or may not have contributed to our infertility, but mostly they were mild to moderate displays of endometriosis - and I was grateful they weren't any worse or in more concerning locations, such as on the fallopian tubes, bowel, or bladder. The second issue the doctor was able to fix was scar tissue (again, no idea why or how that forms) that linked my left ovary to my uterus and in the process, twisted the ovary away from the position needed to deposit a mature egg into the left fallopian tube. C said the scar tissue looked like a spiderweb (like the ones that Spiderman shoots) connecting the ovary and uterus. The doctor was able to cut out the scar tissue and cauterize the connecting sights on both the ovary and uterus. Now this issue has definitely had an impact on our fertility - the ovaries and fallopian tubes are not actually connected in the body, so transport of mature eggs is really more of a baseball game: the ovary pitches and the fallopian tube catches. In most women, there are never any issues with catching because the pitcher is dependable and all he has to do is throw the ball at the catcher and everything works wonderfully. We assume this is the case with my right ovary, but essentially, my left ovary (due to the twisting nature of the scar tissue) was pitching at first base, and in this game, there is no first baseman. See the problem?

Dr. G, C, and I were all very happy with the surgery: how quickly and easily it went, what the doctor was able to identify and fix, and my fabulous recovery. I have a post-op visit in a week or so and Dr. G said he was going to look over my chart again to come up with a new game plan. While we don't know whether or not the small amount of endometriosis had any affect on my fertility, a very real concern is that it can redevelop. Sometimes it is gone forever after surgery and sometimes it can build up again in as little as six months. The doctor did mention that we have a realistic window for an increased chance at pregnancy (with or possibly without treatments) of six to nine months, and then we may need to (non-invasively) check and see if anything (endometriosis or scar tissue) has returned. We'll find out more at that visit.

I am doing really well recovery-wise. Last night I rested and read a vampire book. I was told to take 400mg of ibuprofen every four hours and I've used our handy kitchen timer to keep track of that. The doctor prescribed percocet, but I only took two pills last night so that I could go to sleep. Slept well last night. My only small, minor complaints are a sore throat from being intubated, soreness in the shoulders from the remaining gas rising to the highest place, and this morning some slight pain at the lower incision site. The first two issues have already resolved and I am feeling good today. Just getting around slowly and resting a lot. A good friend brought by a taco lasagna today for lunch, C's boss/friend J is coming over for dinner, as are sister B and boyfriend J. C is taking excellent care of me and he's always so attentive through these things. I should just keep getting better and sometime in a week or so we should have another game plan. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers - we both really appreciate your encouragement and support.

EIGHT X EIGHT

Tagged by: Haley @ The Olsons

*Since this is an Anne/C blog and I am perfectly at ease with putting words in C’s mouth, the first four of every eight answers are mine and the following four are C’s answers that I derived from the last (almost) eight years of companionship.

EIGHT Things I Am Looking Forward to:
A: Spending three days in IA with C
AM + R’s baby girl entering the world in August
J’s wedding in SC
Reading the HP series all over again. Starting . . . now! Where , oh where, did I misplace book one? Oops, had to buy a new (old/used) copy.
C: The Dodge PowerWagon Rally in IA this weekend!!! (Really, he is very excited)
“Finishing” the Dodge PowerWagon (still needs working gauges, different seats, a diesel, roll cage, canvas top, etc.).
Starting on the Jeep Wagoneer (putting in a 455, I think).
Getting the porch on the house redone.

EIGHT Things I Did Yesterday:
A: Finished Saving Zoe and started Hoot (don’t recommend either book yet).
Received a voicemail from J (but didn’t get the awesome news until today!).
Was told to buy buns: hamburger and hot dog.
Watched a really interesting show about codependent twin anorexics.
C: Ate some tuna salad and crackers.
Watched some creepy show about dumb anorexic girls.
Did some work at home.
Briefly discussed the IA trip with Anne.

EIGHT Things I Wish I Could Do:
A: Heal the sick (including taking the pain away from my friends and family).
Be an awesome soccer player.
Write a book that I absolutely love; in that completely narcissistic way.
Ensure that C and I die at the same moment, but not in a creepy way.
C: Take part in Demo Derby every single year.
*
*
Fly.

EIGHT Shows We Watch:
NCIS
Burn Notice
Criminal Minds
House
CSI
How I Met Your Mother
Dirty Jobs
Deadliest Catch

EIGHT Favorite Movies/Books:
A: Realm of Possibilities/Fat Kid Rules the World/Cat’s Eye/Sexing the Cherry (books)
Boondock Saints/Saved/10 Things I Hate About You/Mean Girls (movies)
C: *You would have to ask him, as I would probably get these wrong*
*But I do know that he really likes strawberry ice cream and that has to count for something.

EIGHT Places I’d Like to Travel to:

A: Hawaii

Israel/Saudi Arabia
Alaska (cruise)
Brazil/Peru
C: Hawaii
Germany
Washington state (?)
Canada (?)

EIGHT Places I’ve Lived:

A: Manhattan
Ottawa
Manhattan
Spring Hill
C: Junction City
Salina
Manhattan
Spring Hill

EIGHT Others that may or may not care to participate in the EIGHT X EIGHT thingy:

Miriah

Laura

Courtney (ha, tagged twice!)

Casie

Anna

Erin