5 Months

Happy 5 months to my fun-loving, ball of bursting personality!

This stinker refuses to cooperate for photo shoots, not the pic I wanted but it will do!

Lots of changes occurred this month and some of them proved quite painful for Aaron and I.  First big change was switching to all formula.   The chaos of pumping was really getting to a breaking point for me where I decided I need to stop with the madness.  The time spent every day, the packing up the supplies and hauling them around with me, not being able to do anything for more than a few hours at a time on weekends because I had to go home and pump, all the extra hand washing and consolidating/keeping straight to use the oldest pumped milk first, and the biggest headache was my supply dropping and trying to keep straight what was formula and milk in the fridge as they have very different rules on how long they are good for.  Aaron was the worse about keeping the ‘rules’ straight between the both and more and more was going down the drain.  At that point I said enough is enough with this madness!  So we switched to all formula, I felt like I had my life back.  In fact, when I stopped, I got a burst of energy and felt more alive than I had in months.  But poor Annie, we didn't transition very slowly and her reflux was out of control for a good week.  We finally found a formula that works best for her tummy but it was a painful, stressful process for a good week.    I've learned a lot about nursing/pumping/formula and walk away with a lot of knowledge and changes I will do with baby #2 that I think will make it more successful next time around.  Biggest thing I learned is don’t let it run your life.  As long as baby eats, who cares if it’s breastmilk or formula!  My health is just as important as my daughter’s and letting it run my life and stress me out was totally not worth it, I feel like a whole new person now since I've stopped, it’s been refreshing to just feel like me again.  

Another big change was introducing rice cereal.  At first she didn’t know what to think, most of it was coming out then going down, it was fun the first time then after that it was just a nuisance, but with good practice, she is now gobbling it down and really seems to like it and its fun again.  Practice really does make perfect.

We also experienced our first diaper rash.  We are still dealing with it 3 weeks later, it just won’t fully go away and looks like I’ll be calling our Pediatrician again this week to find out what to try next.

She is rolling like crazy, and when she’d roll at night, it was waking her up.  Arg!  Sleeping clear thru the night was interrupted for a good week to two.  We finally got back to sleeping thru the night again but it was another painful change for us as we transitioned to getting back up in the middle of the nights for a few weeks to calm her and help her get back to her back. 

Her fussiness has improved but not dramatically enough to say we are over it yet.  I think I have honed in on the problem though and hoping this month we’ll have it solved.  I don’t think she is getting enough quality naps and therefore is overtired.  I follow the book The Sleep Lady, great book!  So this month our focus is to work hard on establishing a good nap routine and honestly I think daycare isn’t the issue, it’s us on the weekends that are throwing her off.   Crossing my fingers that lack sleep is the culprit of her fussiness!  From what I read, I really think it is.

She is doing so many fun things every week.  She can now sit unassisted for a bit at time.   She can roll and roll.  Loves to army crawl her way to get a toy.  She likes to stand holding onto something.  Charley also really captivates her attention.   Her personality is really shining thru and let me tell you, she has quite the little personality.  She is quite the go-getter, and if anything gets in her way…watch out because she is a vocal little one!  Boy can she get mad!

I also feel like she has to constantly be on the move, it’s like I’m holding a hot potato.  Move this way and that way and back and forth, it’s exhausting!  And when someone asks to hold her, I usually preface by saying she’s a squirmy one, you really gotta have a good grip one her because she is pretty darn strong.   The only time she lets me hold her like a baby is when she is feeding otherwise, she’s constantly moving this way and that. 

Guessing this next month will be a lot more of us chasing after her as she continues to improve her mobility.  Go Annie GO! 

This was the pic I wanted, but with her looking at the camera

So intrigued with these blocks

A Day in the Life of the Hyde Family

I’ve Googled a million different schedules.  I like schedules.  I like the predictability of a routine.  It gives me a sense of control.  I like being in control.  This is my schedule, as most schedules I Google are labeled I would call this one: life with a 4 month old, working/pumping mother.  Now since she just turned 5 months old, this schedule has changed, I no longer am pumping which really frees up a ton of time.  More to come on that in her 5 month post but this is what the last few months have been looking like for us:

5:30 AM – my alarm goes off, I have to pump.  Aaron has already been awake for who knows how long.  He's an early bird.  He usually goes into Annie’s room about this time and try to slip her reflux meds to her while she is still somewhat asleep.  Normally successful. 

5:45 – I wash all my pumping supplies and pack up my pump & supplies to take to work with me.

6 AM – Reflux meds have been in her for the minimum half hour before feeding as required.  I get in the shower, Aaron feeds Annie. Some days we have to feed her before 6 am as it’s can be super challenging to hold off on feeding a hungry baby, ideally her meds need to be on an empty tummy for 30 minutes but however long we can get, we take!

6:30 – I take over Annie so Aaron can get ready.   We play and get dressed, I load her into her car seat, fill out her daycare sheet, pack up her bottles and send her and Aaron out the door at 7 am.

7 – 7:30/8 – Makeup, hair and dress myself.  I’m out the door and at work anytime between 7:30 and 8. I’m loaded down carrying my pump, work computer, lunch, extra cooler for pumped milk, coffee in one hand, purse throw in there somewhere.  I work in a massive building with a massive parking lot, carrying everything in (in one haul/in heels) is a workout.

My days vary from day to day.  But normally I have meetings that fill up half my day and the other half is free for work to-dos.  I generally get into work and settled, look at my calendar and plan 2 times I can pump during the day.  I can’t hold off as long as lunch time, 5 hours I’ve learned is about the max I can go in between.  I settle with blocking time on my calendar around 10 am and again at 3 pm.  I have to block time on my calendar or someone will plan a last minute meeting or I get busy and lose track of time.  I generally don’t go home for lunch, I’ll step out for some quick errands or I will work thru lunch and leave early.  I love my job and the people I work with.  That helps make the days fly by!

Anywhere between 4 – 5 pm – Leave work and go to daycare to pick up Annie.  Chat with her teachers, review her day with them.  She loves daycare and usually has awesome days there.  I enter all her naps and bottles in my baby app every single day, Daycare does an awesome job of keeping track of this for me during the day.  It really helps when she is super fussy to pinpoint what could be wrong.

Until 6 pm, it’s just Annie and I.  I get her reflux meds in her right away so I hit that 30 minute window.  Usually watch a little Mickey Mouse, have some rice cereal, feed her bottle and then Daddy comes home. 

6 pm – I start on dinner.  Aaron and I do the ‘dinner dance’ that goes something like this… me: What sounds good?  Aaron: I don’t know.  Me: I’m calling in an order to the Mexican place down the street, what do you want?   Who has time to cook anymore!?!

6:30 – Annie usually sneaks in a short catnap until 7 so we can eat.  Aaron and I chat about our day as we eat fairly quickly, never knowing if Annie's catnap will only last 10 minutes or 30.  It's not normally a sit down meal, it's more like I take a bite, get up feed the dog, come back take a bite and realize something else so I run and do that.  Aaron's phone rings, it's a call he has to take in the middle of dinner. We eat while we get stuff done.  It's a chaotic hour. 

7 pm – bath time!  Every other night Annie gets a bath.  She loves baths.  Following a bath comes her baby lotion massage, which she loves!  But then I put on her jammies and she screams.  She normally hates getting dressed.  

7:30 – I play with her, read a book and cuddle up.

8 pm – Aaron feeds her last bottle of the night, she gets zipped up in her swaddle blanket and normally goes down by 8:30 pm.  Some nights a little later, but we try to hold off as long as we can until 8 if she is acting tired early. 

8:30 – Aaron might workout or he does some work from home.  I make Annie’s bottles for the next day, unpack and clean the pumping supplies/bottles.  Make my lunch for tomorrow. 

9 – TIRED!  At this point, I haven’t sat down to do nothing since 5:30 am.  Watch tv for a half hour and spend time with Chuck.  She pretty much is demanding my attention at this point so she gets my last half hour.  So we play fetch and tug-a-war and she gets her daily allowance of belly scratches.

9:30 – wash up and get ready for bed.

9:45 – I have to pump.  This is the most dreaded agenda item on my list.  All I want to do is go to sleep, I actually don’t mind the 5:30 am or day time pumping sessions as much, but this session is the one I dread and hate doing so much.  It’s the last thing I want to do after a long day but I get it done.

10 pm – get pump ready to go for 5:30 am session and fall asleep watching the news.

5:30 AM – Get up and do it all again!  

I think Aaron and I have a good balance of who does what.  This is pretty close to a look at our weekdays, it varies some, some nights Aaron mows the lawn and I do everything with Annie.  Some nights he takes her and I go to my hot yoga classes.  Some nights I have small group, some nights he has late work events.  And not to mention the million diaper changes we do.  We have a good give/take balance that seems to be working for us!  Annie pretty much has to be hands on all the time, she doesn’t really play by herself for too long of periods before she gets colicky so there is a lot of hands on/trading off that must be done to keep our sanity! 

Lighten-Up BLT {Flatbread}

Let's talk food!!  Annie says "Mmkay!"  

This late summer season has some of my favorite foods…vine ripe tomatoes, fresh corn on the cob, juicy watermelon, flavorful peaches, just to name a few.  I like to pair my favorite summer foods together and one meal I especially love is BLTs with corn on the cob.  They just go together in my mind.  Every late July into August, that’s my go-to meal. 

But one thing I find time and time again is I get so full off the corn on the cob that eating a BLT sandwich on top of that, well it’s just a gut buster.   So I found a way to lighten up the BLT but still pack its seasonal freshness. 

Meet the BLT mini flatbread, eliminating all that extra bread that just fills you up.  And who isn’t looking for a way to shed a few carbs?!  This, my friends, is so pretty you could serve it for a tappas themed meal.  A thin warm flatbread, topped with guacamole, crumbled bacon, arugula, diced tomato and a smidgen of mayo and wah-lah!... you got a new take on the BLT. 

I would like to make a special call out to the arugula that is used in place of the ‘L’ on my BLT.  First off, I love arugula!  I’ve learned from various sources that iceberg lettuce really doesn’t give you any great benefits and you are better off eating a good leafy green packed with antioxidants such as spinach, arugula or kale.  So long are the days of buying a head of lettuce just to brown in the fridge in a few days, I’ve grown to prefer one of these good leafy greens instead.  Plus it’s just prettier, not only does arugula taste good but it looks fancy.  And I’m a sucker for anything fancy.

I was really torn on what flatbread option to use.  We don’t regularly eat flatbread.  We don’t eat much bread period.  I usually only have bread on hand for my pb sandwiches.  Aaron uses corn tortillas for about everything, that wasn’t going to cut it for me.  So I bought several to try but the one I ended up preferring was the Flatout Hungry Girl Foldit Flatbread.  It’s only 90 calories and I cut it in half so technically 45 cals.  Score.  This is the key for avoiding that gut busting feeling.  So GOOD you guys!  You gotta try this BLT sammy a-sap!  

Ingredients:

Flatout Hungry Girl Foldit Flatbread (or any flatbread of your choice!)

3 strips of cooked bacon (the crispier the better when it comes to BLTs)

1 tomato, diced

Guacamole or a mashed avocado

Arugula

Mayo

Cut the flatbread in half.  In a skillet warm up the flatbread on each side for a minute or so.  Remove from skillet.  Spread your avocado/gauc.  Tear your bacon up into bite size pieces and top.  Add your arugula.  Top with diced tomatoes.  A few dollops of mayo on top as desired.   

That’s it!  It’s that easy!  Your lighten up BLT awaits.  You’re welcome.  I can hardly talk about food without saying my punch line…it’s going to be yummers in your tummers! 

Happy Bday Chuck!

Guess who had a birthday earlier this month?  This huggable, loveable, fuzzy face. 

Charley turned 3 and we had big plans of making a day just for her but then Annie decided nope… she was going to take center stage that day and be extra colicky.  Poor Charley!  But she still got lots of love, extra treats, a new toy and her own photo shoot I took for this post.  No dog park, no Starbucks puppy lattes, no car rides, no pup cups from Dairy Queen, no walks…but pretty sure she didn’t mind. 

This year, we have worked to make a conscious effort to give Charley lots of love every day but thru the day there are lots of “No Charley” being said.  She wants to play all the time.  She still doesn’t understand that when I’m holding or feeding Annie, I can’t handle having a dog toy being shoved into my lap.  Although she may not give up easily with trying to get me to play with her, she is still so good and doesn’t get mad that I ignore her.   When I’m on the floor playing with Annie, I try to balance between keeping her entertained and giving Charley attention at the same time.  When Annie goes to bed, Aaron and I try to give Charley 1:1 attention but some days I’m just too tired and so Chuck gets a bone. 

Charley has had a lot of nicknames over the years but lately she is ‘Chuck’.  Or Charles Dickens.  LOL, I know, we are weird.    

Chuck is pretty good but the one thing we still struggle with to this day is when company is at our house, she will not listen at all!  She gets so OVER excited and go nuts.  She is so good and listens so well when it’s just us but when other people are here, she is the worse and does not obey at all.  I cannot figure out for the life of me how to resolve this.  I think she is just still a puppy and it will just take time for her to not get so wound up when people are over.  And then she thinks those people are here JUST to see her.  Sorry Chuckers!

I refer to Charley as my ‘first born’.  She is the BEST dog I’ve ever had.  Really.  She is such a lover and always so happy-go-lucky and still does funny things that makes us laugh.   I always tell Charley and Annie that they are best friends they just don’t know it yet.  I look forward to the day they can wear each other out. 

Happy Birthday Charley!  As much as life has changed for you this year, we still love you just as much as we did before!