Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

Hi Bloggy

2011-03-09T21:29:00.000-06:00

I have gotten too busy to blog!

Baby Rae misses everyone though.

Bye again!

And All the Rest

2011-02-17T21:04:00.003-06:00

Here are the rest of the expenses for items we actually owned: Us vs. Babycenter:

Feeding	Us	Babycenter
Bottles and nipples	41	60
Highchair	9	100
Utensils	3	13
Cups and sippy cups	14	21
Burp Cloths	0	10
Bottle Brush	3	8
Bibs	0	12

Breastfeeding
Electric breast pump	0	250
Nursing Supplies	70	73
Nursing Bras	83	75
Herbal Supplements	37	0

Bathing/Grooming
Baby Towels	0	16
Infant Bathtub	4	20
Baby Washcloths	0	10
Brush/comb	0	8
Baby nail clippers	0	3

Other
Childproofing supplies	28	43
Safety gates	15	120
Diaper pail	4	25
Pacifiers	4	8
Humidifiers	8	30
Photo printing	51	127

Totals:	374	1032

Of course, there are some things we got that Babycenter doesn't have on their list at all:

Batteries	11
Bottle Warmer	2
Bed Rails	13
Bias tape (for sewing)	3
Changing table pad	1
Baby Clothing Detergent	6
Furniture (misc)	13

Total:	49

Next Post: Putting it all together.

Nursery

2011-02-10T20:31:00.003-06:00

	Us	Babycenter
Crib	0	230
Changing Table	8	120
Glider or Rocker	40	230
Basinette	25	100
Hamper	5	25
Bedding	33	64
Mobile	11	30
Dresser	0	250
Decorations	16	150
Crib Mattress	0	99
Baby Monitor	5	50

Totals:	143	1348

Analysis: Let's see...some of the bedding was a gift and some new; the baby monitor, mobiles (2 of them), decorations, and changing table came from the magic thrift shop; the bassinet, glider, and hamper came from rummage sales; and the crib, mattress, and dresser were hand-me-downs from friends and family. There are SO MANY of these things in rummage sales and thrift shops. I think paying retail for this stuff is just plain dopey.

Activity Equipment - Updated

2011-02-08T17:28:00.002-06:00

Here are the items Babycenter lists under "Activity Equipment" that we actually ended up owning along with our cost and their estimated cost:

	Us	Babycenter
Swing	$9	$100
Bouncy Seat	$27	$40
Play mat	$6	$50
Doorway jumper	$0	$40

Totals:	$42	$230

Baby just woke up from nap...gotta run! Analysis Later!

Update: Ok...it's later! Let's see...we got 2 swings at the magic thrift shop, totalling about 9 dollars, a bouncy seat brand new at Walmart (ick), a play mat at the thrift shop, and we were given a doorway jumper.

I've decided after I go through these expenses like this, comparing them line by line, I'm going to figure out how much it would have cost if we only bought necessities. That ought to be interesting.

One-Time Costs: Gear

2011-02-04T21:19:00.002-06:00

These are the "Gear" items Babycenter offers as options that we actually ended up with, with our actual costs and their estimations:

	Us	Babycenter
Infant car seat	$96	$100
Basic stroller	$0	$129
Front carrier	$0	$59
Diaper bag	$0	$50
Convertible car seat	$150	$139
Jogging stroller	$50	$180
Sling or wrap carrier	$13	$39
Baby Backpack	$11	$140

“Gear” total:	$320	$836
Ongoing expenses:	$2,027	$8,100
Grand total so far:	$2,347	$8,936

Analysis: We got some stuff new (car seats), some were hand-me-downs from Rae's cousin (basic stroller, diaper bag), some were gifts (front carrier), some were bought second hand (baby backpack (2 of them), jogging stroller), and one I made by hand (baby sling). There are many many ways to save money on these things. As a matter of fact, just today I listed our infant car seat on freecycle to pass the deals onto someone else. Baby gear is falling out of the sky!

Tomorrow: Activity Equipment.

Toys/Books/Media

2011-02-03T21:12:00.003-06:00

Babycenter budgets $35/month for toys, books, and media. Again, before even doing the math, I strongly suspect we've got a compulsive shopper at the helm of that website. Total for 12 months = $420.

Our total: $53.31, which includes a number of second-hand toys, teething rings, a toy chest, a couple of used CDs, and a couple of used DVDs (CinderElmo and Where the Wild Things Are). I actually forgot to include the DVDs up to now - so they're being added to the total now @ $2.14. I really don't think I forgot many things, but the thrift shop doesn't give receipts so when I shopped there I had to rely on my memory.

Baby Rae did get some toys and books as gifts this year. She loves the fat-paged cardboard books. I should start reading to her. She's getting to the point now where she'll actually sit still long enough to hear a story.

This completes Babycenter's "Ongoing Expenses." After this, we'll be looking at their "One-Time Expenses."

	Us	Babycenter

Disposable Diapers	$450	$864
Formula / Food	$833	$972
Clothing	$92	$708
Medical	$563	$276
Toiletries	$23	$252
Toys/Books/Media	$58	$420

Total:	$2,019	$3,492

Toiletries

2011-02-02T17:32:00.005-06:00

Babycenter says parents could expect to spend $21 per month for 12 months on toiletries (total = $252).

Our total: $22.74.

Wow...I wonder what they're spending $252 on. Baby soap is just not that expensive.

We had some toiletries given to us. When I was pregnant my friends at work would surprise me some mornings with baby stuff on my desk or hiding in my office, including baby shampoo, soap, powder, and lotion. But even that stuff has gone largely unused...We've used the shampoo and soap, but never used baby powder...and maybe once used baby lotion.

I think someone at Babycenter really likes shopping. A lot.

Totals so far:

	Us	Babycenter

Disposable Diapers	$450.00	$864.00
Formula / Food	$833.00	$972.00
Clothing	$92.00	$708.00
Medical	$563.00	$276.00

Toiletries	$23.00	$252.00

Medical Expenses

2011-02-01T10:37:00.010-06:00

Babycenter figures new parents should expect to spend about $23 per month for 12 months for medicine and first aid (total = $276). They don't say they're including well-baby medical care, doctor copays, deductibles, and insurance premiums, but I think they should. So let's go ahead and include that stuff.

Thus far on this blog, our medical costs have totaled $86.08. This includes medicine and doctor copays. Additionally, insurance premiums for just Baby Rae have amounted to $41.50 a month x 12 months, for a grand total of $584.08. (Note: insurance premiums were not included in the grand total till now...I'm adding them.)

I don't know if we're typical with regard to medical costs. We have really good insurance with relatively low premiums and copays, and with no deductibles. Also, Baby Rae was not sick this year - a teeny tiny rash (literally, like 3 mm across) required a prescription in the beginning of the year, but that was it. She had some weird bumps on her cheeks for several months, but that went away on its own. If she had been sick I'm sure we would have spent more in this category.

So to sum up...Babycenter is dumb for not including a wider array of medical costs in their total. Even healthy babies need medical care and need to be insured (in the USA, anyway).

Here's where we stand:

	Us	Babycenter
Childcare	$15.00	$4,608.00
Disposable Diapers	$450.00	$864.00
Formula / Food	$833.00	$972.00
Clothing	$92.00	$708.00
Medical	$563.00	$276.00

Clothing

2011-01-30T22:29:00.002-06:00

This should be short...

Babycenter says the average parents will spend $59 per month on clothing for an infant's first year, for a total clothing cost of $708.

Our cost for clothing: $92. Total.

Wow...Does that make me a bad mom?

Baby Rae got a LOT of clothing gifts this year. She had lots of really wonderful new things from both sets of grandparents, and lots of gently used clothes from friends and relatives with young kids. This is one of those areas where it's sort of hard to say whether or not we're at all typical.

I know we're not typical in that a lot of the $92 we did spend was at the magic thrift shop. I see nothing wrong with used clothes - I've been wearing them my whole life. I think there are people who would simply refuse to dress their little precious in pre-owned clothing. I say get over it. It's fabric. Wash it and wear it.

I'm also not sure we're typical with regard to the quantity of clothing given us as gifts. I didn't have a baby shower, but people seem to love to clothe babies. I know I do now! I wish someone I knew would have a baby so I could buy that baby cute fuzzy outfits with ears.

Anyway, I'm using our situation as a real-life example. This is what really happened.

	Us	Babycenter

Disposable Diapers	$450.00	$864.00
Formula / Food	$833.00	$972.00
Clothing	$92.00	$708.00

Formula and Food

2011-01-29T20:38:00.003-06:00

Let's look at what Babycenter says parents should expect to pay to feed baby for the first year.

Looks like they have a couple of scenarios, depending on how long mom expects to breastfeed. Our situation was a little weird...my milk supply was never fabulous, so we always supplemented a little with formula here and there. To keep things simple, we'll say I breastfed for 6 months, and formula fed for 6 months. Solid food started at 6 months.

Babycenter says given these circumstances, parents should expect to spend the following:
Formula: $630 ($105 per month for 6 months)
Baby Food: $342 ($57 per month for solid food for 6 months)

Babycenter's total for food: $972

Here were our expenses for Baby Rae's eating needs:
Bottled water: $42 ($7 per month)
Formula: $711 ($119 per month)
Baby Food: $80 ($13 per month)

Our total for food: $833

Looks like we're right in the same neighborhood with babycenter for formula and food. I added bottled water in because we elected to use powdered formula. We ended up spending more on average for formula, probably because we used fancy BPA-free formula for several months.

	Us	Babycenter
Childcare	$15.00	$4,608.00
Disposable Diapers	$450.00	$864.00
Formula / Food	$833.00	$972.00

Diapers

2011-01-28T21:26:00.007-06:00

Babycenter figures the average person using disposable diapers will spend $72/month for 12 months, for a total of $864 spent on diapers in the first year.

While I was pregnant I would ask people with kids how much it costs for diapers. The typical reaction was a blank look and a vague comment along the lines of "...I don't know... a lot..." I understand that now. It's hard to know unless you actually take the time to write down (or blog about) how much you spend. Diapers are one of those things you buy when you need, sometimes involving an emergency trip to the store at night. They're expensive so you buy what's on sale, and then you find out you don't like that brand so you don't use up the package before buying a new one...and the prices vary a ton because diapers are often used as a loss leader at stores to bring in customers.

Shopping for diapers was something I got pretty good at over the past year. I was a total amateur at first, of course. My first mistake was stocking up on a brand I knew nothing about (Huggies) before the baby was even here. After buying 8 or 9 packages of them, the baby came, and I found out she was allergic to them. Gave them away. What a waste! (Not for the other baby, probably, but for us.) I tried all the store brands, and after a lot of trial and error found Walgreens diapers were really nice, and on sale all the time! Best of all lately has been the promotional coupons available for Pampers through Amazon.com.

Anyway, let's get to the numbers.

In all, we spent $450.30 total on diapers. That's about half of Babycenter's estimate, and about $38 per month. I think Babycenter is right on for those folks who just walk into a store and buy whatever is on the shelf, or even whatever is on sale that day. It took a certain amount of planning, coupon collecting, and sale-flier scanning to get these prices.

For moms interested in saving money on diapers, I offer the following advice:

Follow Baby Cheapskate for great deals on diapers, as well as formula and other baby junk.
Use Walgreens diapers - they go on sale frequently, buy one get one 50% off, or they have coupons in their weekly sale flier. The quality is as good as expensive brands - much nicer than the Walmart brand or various other store brands I tried.
Go to the websites for Huggies, Pampers, and Luvs and get on their mailing lists - they'll send you high-value coupons in the mail.
Don't stock up on diapers before the baby is here. After the baby arrives, get one package of each brand (Pampers, Huggies, Luvs, and various store brands) and decide for yourself which one works best for you. Then look for deals.

	Us	Babycenter
Childcare	$15.00	$4,608.00
Disposable Diapers	$450.00	$864.00

Tomorrow...Formula!

Let's Begin the Analysis [Updated]

2011-01-27T20:35:00.006-06:00

...shall we?

I seem to be short on time these days, so here's what I'll do. Every day I'll go down the list of Babycenter's first-year baby costs and compare one of their costs to our cost.   We'll start with...childcare! Yes, let's get the big one out of the way.

As part of their default $10,158 cost for baby's first year, Babycenter factored in 6 months of childcare at a cost of $768 per month. Total = $4,608.

Our cost for childcare = $15

Well, clearly there's a discrepancy here. We managed to do all our own childcare and keep Baby Rae at home. I'm really happy about this, but I know it's not realistic for everyone.

Part of it too, is that I'm too scared to leave Baby Rae with anyone. I don't trust anyone we don't know really really well to take care of her. This may get in the way at some point.

So...tally so far:

                          Us                Babycenter
Childcare            $15               $4608

We'll continue tomorrow.

Update - After further consideration, I will only be comparing my expenses to babycenter's if we actually USED that item or service. In other words, childcare won't figure into the analysis since we didn't use it.

One Year!

2011-01-25T21:52:00.003-06:00

Baby Rae is one year old!

Ok, I'm a few days late. I've been really busy! There have been elephants to train, parades to organize, dancing girls to get into giant cakes, and presents to wrap!

It's been quite the affair, this first birthday. Here she is on her birthday, prior to the festivities, happy as a clam, completely unaware of the greatness of this milestone:

Here she is during her party, confronted by fire and singing adults, and attempting to escape from her high chair:

Yes, well, a wee bit overstimulated. But in all, a good time was had by all.

So I need to wrap up my expenses for Year One of baby's life. I think all I have left to add is one more can of formula ($11.20) and party supplies (cake, candle, streamers) ($8.72). Total = $19.92. As soon as life slows down for a few minutes, I'll take a closer look at what the expense data has to tell us.

Happy Birthday, Baby Rae! It's been a great year.

1 Week

2011-01-13T21:36:00.005-06:00

Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod...only 1 week left till Baby Rae is 1!

Many more expenses to add to the pile before the end of our 1-year experiment.
Here goes:

Formula: $11.21. We decided to go half cow's milk, half formula for a little while.
Toy: $2.08 - on sale at grocery store in a post-Christmas sale, marked down 75%. Was going to save it for a birthday present, but we couldn't wait and ended up just giving it to her.
Birthday presents for Baby Rae: $11.61 - various teething toys and socks...but don't tell her! It's a surprise!
Baby soap/shampoo - $1.43
Bath chair - $1.07 at the magjc thrift shop
Food - $28.36 - includes pureed food, yogurt, rice puff baby treats, oatmeal, barley, whole milk, and assorted other food. We do give her some small amounts of food that we eat, but so far it's mostly just baby food.
Bottled water - $2.21
Baby Advil: $7.43 - for teething pain
Nasal Aspirator: $2.67
Toys, Decorations for Rae's bedroom, and Clothing: $8.18 at the magic thrift shop
Babyproofing materials - $25.63

I think that's it...

Total: $101.88

Closing in on the end of our experiment...

2011-01-06T21:27:00.002-06:00

I can't upload any new pictures right now because my USB port on my computer is broken. Stoopid 'puter. I've got a plan though, so the situation should be rectified within a week or so. For sure in time for Rae's birthday. Woo hoo! 2 weeks till she's 1!! Anyway, in the meantime, here is her Christmas picture:

More expenses to report:

Formula: $22.40. Have I mentioned that I'm a really concrete thinker? I have heard/read that babies should have breast milk or formula for the first year, supplemented with solid food, and then after 1 year they can have whole cow's milk and solid food. I have it in my head that she must at all costs be on formula for 2 more weeks. When I challenge this notion, it occurs to me that we could probably go ahead and transition to milk now. I mean, she's only 2 weeks away. I've given her dairy (cheese) and she handled it fine. That's it! Decision made. Milk is in from now on, and formula is out. No more formula...woo hooooooooo!!!!!

Bottled water: $1.27. Our water filter broke. The threads on it stopped holding in on the faucet. Time to get a new one, I guess, but in the meantime we got bottled water to mix formula.

Baby Food: $3.14

Sippy cup: $7.19. This was a Nuk sippy cup. Much better than the last generic fail sippy cup. Thanks for the tip, Sarah!

Blueberry baby treats: $1.80. We were at Walmart (ick) and Baby Rae was getting hungry so I got these little puff things and started feeding them to her right in the store. I was going to wait till the parking lot but I accidentally shook the can and she knew it was baby treats, and, well, it was all over. The can had to be opened.

Cheerios: $3.30. I don't know how many Cheerios Baby Rae has eaten over the past few months, but I'd have to say at least 1 whole box, maybe 2. This is what I would spend for 2 boxes of Cheerios. You know the routine: on sale, after coupons.

Total: $39.10

11 Months

2010-12-21T20:02:00.006-06:00

Only one month to go with this blog till we can do the big analysis. Does it really cost 8-10 grand to get a baby to age 1? Well a glance at my sidebar will answer that question already I guess...Looks like no. But one thing I'll be doing is a more detailed breakdown of each category (e.g., diapers, formula, toys, etc) and comparing it to BabyCenter's estimation of needs during the first year. I'll also break it down even further and look at where and why I was able to save money or avoid expenses altogether. I'll be looking at which things we bought that ended up being unnecessary or useless...and what areas we could have (and maybe should have) spent more. I'm going to do an analysis of the "Magic Thrift Shop" factor...how much of what we bought was so cheap because we just happen to live within 15 miles of the best thrift shop in North America - maybe the world! Finally, I plan on analyzing how much of the stuff we bought at the thrift shop was need vs want. In other words, yes, we bought a lot of stuff at the Magic Thrift Shop, but a lot of it is stuff we just wouldn't have bought at all if it hadn't been available so cheaply.

So basically I have enough quantitative and qualitative analyses to drag this blog out for a really long time!! Baby Rae will be going to college before I'm done analyzing year #1!

Anyway, some new expenses:

Babysitting: $15. I remember when I was babysitting 27 years ago, I charged $1 an hour. Now kids get $5 an hour. I guess that makes sense. It is my baby she's watching after all. Anyway, we hired a local teenager to watch Rae for a few hours while we were moving furniture into the new house. It's a girl that used to live across the alley from us. We knew she had a good heart because she used to find stray kittens in the neighborhood and go door to door looking for a home for them. Anyway, she and her family moved about 2 years ago and we were out of touch with her. Then we ran into her at the Magic Thrift Shop! Got her number, and now she's our babysitter. Love that thrift shop.

Baby Food: $2.71. 6 jars of Gerber baby food @ 59 cents each, minus $1 coupon, plus tax

Formula (2 large cans): $6.18 - it's the evil store brand. I still hate the BPA that they line the cans with but I had really good coupons making these about 75% off. So I took the formula and spooned it out of the can into an airtight container at home. Maybe this makes me a bad mom. Or a hypocrite. Or maybe not. Apparently I can live with it. Only one more month of formula. Then I have to figure out how to actually feed this baby properly.

Toys: $1.65 - at the Magic Thrift Shop

Photofinishing: $13.05

I think that's it for now. Total: $38.59

Cheers!

Sick :(

2010-12-13T21:35:00.004-06:00

I've been sick for the last 3 days. The kind of sick that's too sick to do anything. But now I'm better. Let the catching up resume.

It's been weeks since I've updated my baby expenses. I better do that before I completely lose track of everything.

$6.91 - Sippy cups. I don't really like them though. They have a valve on them to make them spill proof, but it also makes it really hard to drink out of. Oh well.

$19.00 - Diapers. Another really good deal at Amazon. Pampers super duper huge box (204 diapers), originally $40, minus 30% because I'm an "Amazon Mom" member, minus 20% because I found a coupon in a magazine at the dentist's office (is that wrong?) and minus $1 - an Amazon "coupon". Anyway, 9 cents a diaper. I think anything less than 10 cents each is good.

$149.99 - Car Seat. I got this one. I had a $10 credit at Amazon for doing some survey or something, so this was the final price. Baby Rae is about to outgrow her infant carrier/car seat.

$12.47 - Baby Wipes - this is the economy size of the Parents Choice baby wipes at Walmart. I've tried cheaper wipes and they sucked. This is the best price I've found for wipes that are good quality and don't stink with perfume.

$3.58 - baby food

$1.60 - clothing at the magic thrift store

$1.60 - toys at the magic thrift store

$4.26 - baby Advil

Total: $199.41

That's it for now. Off to bed for me.

Moved

2010-12-10T05:48:00.001-06:00

Sorry for the silence of late. We've gotten ourselves moved into the new house, but things are still a big mess. I have a list of expenses to report, and I know my receipts are around here somewhere...Just to give you an idea of how disorganized I am right now, I can only find one pair of my shoes. All week I've been limited to wearing to work only clothes that go with these shoes. Of course my clothes aren't exactly organized either.

I'll get caught up tonight! That's my goal.

Cheers!

Hectic

2010-11-27T08:03:00.003-06:00

Things have been too busy lately. I've cut corners by not writing so much. But I miss my bloggy! I have an idea...I'll cut corners by not messing around so much with photos. My 3 readers will have to be content with just my musings.

A couple of expenses to add:

Diapers: $3.20 - on sale for 4.99, minus $2 coupon, plus tax.
Baby food: $3.00 - 10 jars @ 47 cents ea., minus $2 coupon, plus tax.
Clothes: $6.76 - at the magic thrift shop.
Photos: $14.90 - I still don't know for sure if I like the idea of including photofinishing in the total of baby care, but for now it stays.

I'm using David's weird computer right now and it doesn't seem to have features like "Bold" on it...I'm sure it's here...I mean, it's not like this computer is from the 80s, right? But I can't find it. So no pictures, and no bold.

Expenses total: $27.86.

So current challenges...

Baby Rae seems to want to get up earlier and earlier. She used to sleep till 9 or so, and then it became 8...and then 7...and today, 6:45. Darn it. I may have to start going to bed earlier. There's probably something that can be done about this. I read some online resources...suggestions include things like "Keep the room dark," "Pretend it's the middle of the night," "Limit naptime," "Keep the shades open during naps and closed at night," "Get a lock of your child's hair and put it in a pot and chant while stirring constantly,"

...Ok, I made up that last one. Yeah, we did all that. I think we just need to get up earlier. Which of course means going to bed earlier. This baby's cramping my style! It's almost like...a whole lifestyle change or something, having a baby around.

Just kidding. But seriously, these realizations seem to come upon me in waves.

On the plus side:

Everything else!

Baby Rae is the best baby in the whole world. She's happy and fun and has the best laugh ever. She's chatty and cooperative most of the time. She's great out in public. She's snuggly and sweet. She eats almost everything, drinks milk hot or cold, and sleeps through the night. Here are the two cutest things she does: When I push my hand against the netting of her playpen, she sometimes licks my hand. Through the netting. It sounds gross, but it's really really cute. Also she does the Downward Dog yoga pose all the time. I wouldn't change a thing about her.

Chilly Littleton

2010-11-16T21:29:00.002-06:00

Still very busy...after we get moved in I hope to have more energy for writing!

It got cold here. Here's Baby Rae in her new parka:

Expenses to report:

Baby Gates - $10.68 and $4.26 (one new, one used)
Clothes - including 2 coats - from the Magic Thrift Shop - $8.52
Formula - $5.63 - packets of formula to go. We didn't actually need this yet but I had to buy something to use up a coupon that was going to expire. I'm really obsessive-compulsive about couponing.
Baby Food - $4.63

Total: $33.72

Fall in Love

2010-11-09T20:23:00.001-06:00

That's all. Just Baby Rae in leaves.

Oh, Hi!

2010-11-06T22:28:00.005-05:00

I forgot I have a blog.

Not really, but I've been so busy. We're in the process of moving, in addition to working full time, doing other work on the side, and - oh yeah - caring for Baby Rae who is becoming an expert crawler. Today I put her down on the carpet a good 10 feet away from anything I didn't want her to get into while I went to make her a bottle. Looked up and she was attempting to dump the bowl of cat food - 20 feet from where I left her! I guess I need to be a tad more attentive now. Like a hawk.

Anyway, I'll be glad after we're moved to the new house.

I want to get expenses caught up! No pictures today. Too tired to play with pictures...

Baby Wipes: $12.47
Toys: $2.78 (this is like 5 toys at the thrift shop)
Clothing: $3.20
Baby backpack - $6.40
Other baby backpack - $3.20
Other other baby backpack with Pooh on it - $1.07
Formula - $7.86 - A great deal at Amazon - except I don't know the BPA status of this company's cans...so I only ordered one can.
More Formula - $119 (from Natures One)
More Formula - $6.32 (in travel-size bags)
Baby Food - $4.25

Total: $166.55

Pictures later!

Halloween V

2010-10-31T17:15:00.001-05:00

If you look really really closely....you can see Baby Rae amongst the pumpkins:

Halloween IV

2010-10-30T14:19:00.002-05:00

Fourth costume...Fencer! I guess it might be more believable if she had the mask. Now she looks sort of like a dancer with a sword.

Halloween III

2010-10-28T21:35:00.000-05:00

Today's costume....Devil Baby!

Halloween II

2010-10-27T21:21:00.003-05:00

The costume for the day...? A not-so-scary lion:

That's all for now...another costume tomorrow!

Halloween I

2010-10-26T22:32:00.001-05:00

Today shall start the first of several days during which Baby Rae will be displaying her Halloween costumes for the year. At the end perhaps we'll have a vote for the best one!

First: Tigger.

As you can see, Baby Rae's energy level is through the roof these days. She's been wearing me out.

I'll get expenses caught up soon!

For now, let the Halloween festivities begin!

Play

2010-10-18T09:26:00.003-05:00

This is what it looks like when we turn our entire queen sized bed into a play area. That's actually really fun - I get to get into it with her and play too.

New expenses:

Diapers: $12.80

More Diapers: $19.99 (from Amazon) - another really good deal, almost as good as last time.

Clothing and Halloween costumes - $5.34. Leading up to Halloween we'll have to have a blog fashion show.

Total: $38.13

Sitting

2010-10-12T21:59:00.004-05:00

So Sunday, Baby Rae decided to start sitting up all by herself. I was shooting some video of her and she started sitting by herself...and I said to her (as the video was rolling) "Sweetie, don't fall over...cuz I'm over here and I can't catch you..." and then she fell over. So now whenever she sits up I run over and put pillows all around her...like this:

She looks so proud of herself when she sits up. Then she starts looking around for something to play with while she's sitting up. I hope I can get a picture of that expression. She's such a great baby.

A few new expenses:

Rattle: $1.07:

We actually got 2 rattles at the thrift shop - each were $1.07. I promptly broke one after David brought it home...but still, we'll count both of them toward our total...so...$2.14.

Toy globe - $5.34

Storage thingy for Baby Rae's room...I'll call it furniture for the sake of simplicity - $12.84

Total: $14.98

Learning to Crawl

2010-10-10T09:36:00.000-05:00

Milestones

2010-10-07T22:07:00.006-05:00

How about a rundown of Baby Rae's developmental milestones? Let's see...who would be a credible reference? How about the Mayo Clinic?

7-9 Month Milestones (with Mayo's description in GREEN):

Motor skills advance: By this age, most babies can roll over in both directions — even in their sleep. Some babies can sit on their own, while others need a little support. You may notice your baby beginning to scoot, rock back and forth, or even crawl across the room. Some babies this age can pull themselves to a standing position. Soon your baby may cruise along the edge of the couch or coffee table.

Baby Rae can roll over in both directions and can sit on her own most of the time. I still stay very close when she's sitting on a hard surface like the floor, because she'll still tip over sometimes and fall hard. She's trying very hard to crawl, and can scoot herself backwards really fast across the room. I should get that on video. No standing yet, or cruising across furniture.

Hand-eye coordination improves: Most babies this age transfer objects from one hand to another or directly to their mouths. Pulling objects closer with a raking motion of the hands will give way to more refined movements, such as picking up objects with just the thumb and forefinger. This improving dexterity will help your baby handle a spoon and soft finger foods.

Yep...Rae can move items from hand to hand and from hand to mouth. Sometimes she can pick up a Cheerio and put it in her mouth. She tries to handle a spoon, but I end up wearing her dinner if I let her.

Communication evolves: Your baby will communicate with you through sounds, gestures and facial expressions. You'll probably hear plenty of laughing and squealing. Your baby may even respond to his or her own name. Babies this age can distinguish emotions by tone of voice. They may repeat the sounds they hear — or give it their best shot. Your baby's babbling is likely to include chains of sounds, such as "ba-ba-ba." You may even pick out an occasional "mama" or "dada."

Laughing...check. Squealing...check. Turning when I say her name? Check. Repeating sounds she hears? No...not yet. Saying "mama" all the time...but it sounds more like, "mamamamamamamamamamamama" so it's very possible it's just babbling.

Stranger anxiety appears: Many babies this age become wary of strangers. Your baby may resist staying with anyone other than you, shunning even grandparents or familiar baby sitters.

Yes...didn't like when we left her with Grandma for a few hours last week, and panic in the dentist's waiting room today.

Teething begins: If your baby still has a toothless grin, you can expect the first tooth — likely one of the middle teeth in the lower jaw (a lower central incisor) — to break through anytime. You may notice your baby drooling more than usual and chewing on just about anything.

Still no teeth! She's been drooling for about 5 months now...I think I just have a drooly baby. Can't blame teething anymore.

So...baby's on track. I'm not rushing that whole standing/walking thing. I hear everything changes once she's walking. People say it like this: "Oh just wait! You haven't seen ANYTHING yet!"

Mirrors, Mitts, and Mishaps

2010-10-05T09:25:00.005-05:00

Remember way back when I expressed concern about my inability to manage Baby Rae's fingernails? Well, the saga continues. I was clipping her nails on Sunday and just as I was finishing up...the last clip on the last little finger...I managed to clip her little thumb. Blood everywhere! OMG!! Ok, I'm exaggerating a little, but she cried like great trauma had just occurred. Poor Rae. So I did what I thought a good mommy should do...I cleaned it up and put Hello Kitty band aids on her. She was still upset though, so I did a cool mirror trick in the bathroom to distract her:

If you look very closely, you can see the Hello Kitty on her thumb. Here's a zoomed in look:

Well, this was all well and good until she put her thumb in her mouth and sucked off the band aid. David reports she almost choked on it. So much for doing what a good mommy would do...

Next, I got out the official first aid kit (I knew I'd need this one day!) and put a new official-looking band aid on (no more Hello Kitty. It was time to be serious now.) and taped it on with fancy medical tape. Then I put on one of these mittens we happened to pick up at the thrift shop last week (53 cents):

Poor Rae.

She's had it on since then. I think I'll check progress on the healing when she wakes up this morning.

Other expenses:

Formula - $119. Baby Rae DID love the fancy BPA-free formula (made by Nature's One), so we ordered a case. I hope lots of people support this company. I'm going to give them as much publicity as I can (well, among my 6 readers). They actually care about babies' health.
Diapers - $12.81 (buy one get one 50% off at Walgreens)
Silicone Nipples - $4.53 - For our new glass bottles - forgot to report these in my last post. We had been using latex nipples but apparently those can contain "impurities linked to cancer," according to the Environmental Working Group.
Sword - $3.21 - Ok, it's a toy sword. David wants to dress Baby Rae up like a fencer and take pictures.
Clothing - $4.80 - Includes a Halloween costume and fencing outfit from thrift store.

I guess that's it for now. Total: $144.88

By the way, Baby Rae still has bumps on her cheeks. We're going on 3 months now. I'm secretly hoping they'll go away now that she's on better formula and bottles.

Catching Up

2010-09-30T21:43:00.001-05:00

Ok...I've been avoiding this...so many new expenses...now I have to get organized.

I'll just start somewhere...

Babies shouldn't be sleeping with pillows and blankets until they're 12 months old...so to keep Baby Rae warm this fall, I ordered a baby sleep sack! Here it is:

This is not Baby Rae...it's some bald little boy baby. But this is the sleep sack. You just zip baby on in there and she's toasty warm at night! --- $11.49
Formula - $11.63...yes, this is still the BPA-laced variety...I'm still at a formula crossroads.
More Formula - $15.94 - I have been so disturbed by the BPA-in-the-formula situation, that I've been researching BPA-Free formula companies. I found one! Nature's One. It sounds like a great formula - BPA-free packaging, and its main ingredient is organic brown rice syrup - not sucrose (sugar), like regular commercial formulas. It costs about the same as Similac. We can swing that. Anyway, I ordered a can to see if Baby Rae loves it.
Baby wipes - $10.33
Bottled Water - $2.14
Clothing - $2.14
Bottles - $11.79 - We switched to glass bottles. No risk of evil contaminants.
Pacifiers - $3.61 - We had pacifiers given to us as a gift...but I don't remember if the packaging said they were BPA-free or not. So we bought some that are for sure.
Bed rail - $4.27 - needed one more of these
Diapers - $5.34
Food - $3.20

Total: $81.88

Glad to get that out of the way.

1937....2010

2010-09-26T23:08:00.004-05:00

This is Baby Rae and her grandfather. Resemblance?

Things they don't tell you about parenthood

2010-09-25T10:47:00.005-05:00

You can surround your baby with all kinds of wonderful toys...

But as soon as you turn your back....

...turns out she'd rather just play with the crumpled up paper on the floor.

Oh, Similac...

2010-09-23T21:29:00.004-05:00

After learning about all the toxic substances regularly laced into the cans of baby formula (among other things), I checked out the manufacturer of the formula we've been using. We've been using the "store brand" (nothing but second best for my baby!) - manufactured by PBM Nutritionals. According to Environmental Working Group, PBM isn't even shy about it - they're all, "Yep! We sure do use BPA in our formula cans!" So after reading this, I resolved to switch to the expensive formula that we've come to like...Similac.

And now...well, now it turns out there's BUGS in the Similac. Darn it.

I wish I would have kept breastfeeding. I stopped because we were entertaining the idea of having a second baby, and I had to get the fertility ball rolling again. And...well...I'm old. 41. No time to waste.

Then we decided not to.

And now I hate all the formula companies. Even Similac says it puts BPA in its product packaging...they assert that the BPA doesn't come in contact with the formula though! Oh...great! Well! That makes it all better, doesn't it!

WHY NOT JUST LEAVE THE CRAP OUT OF YOUR PRODUCT ALTOGETHER???

I'll tell you why. Because if they create a product that doesn't have BPA in it, they have to find some other - probably more expensive - substance to do the same thing the BPA does...whatever that is. And there aren't enough informed consumers to make it worth it. I, after all, didn't even know what BPA was until a couple days ago...and I'm a paranoid, highly educated, detail-oriented crazed new mama! If I didn't know or care about all the junk in their packaging, the masses certainly won't. And using safe materials will most certainly cost more...which the masses most certainly do care about.

In 4 months Baby Rae can switch to cow's milk...another product I'm ambivalent about...but geez. Baby keeps getting hungry. Gotta feed her!

BPA, PVC, and Phthalates

2010-09-21T23:05:00.002-05:00

Why, oh why, did I have to go and watch Dr. Oz this afternoon?

He was talking about all of these harmful toxins and chemicals that are found in everyday products, and the effects they can have on our health. One of them is BPA - a nasty chemical found in plastics and the linings of metal cans, which apparently has been linked in animal studies to neurological problems, obesity, diabetes, endocrine system problems (including infertility), and cancer. Lots of baby products are labeled "BPA Free!" I never knew what this meant before. Now I know. And I also know all the other places it quietly lurks - including in the lining of formula cans and the tops of Gerber baby food jars. Curses!

I've been planning on making my own baby food. Time to move up this experiment.

Of course, in the course of doing my research on BPA, I learned about all these other harmful chemicals just waiting to jump out of the nearest teething ring and attack my baby. There's PVC and Phthalates (how is this pronounced, exactly?)...why the hell do companies put these awful things in baby products and toys? I'm afraid to keep reading - pretty soon I'll become paranoid that everything in my house is trying to kill my family.

I've been discovering a whole safe-baby subculture tonight....promoted by sites like The Soft Landing and Safe Mama - they do lots of great articles on what to do instead. Too bad I'm overwhelmed with all the information out there! What I have learned so far is to stop microwaving plastic, to use only plastics with the recycling labels 1, 2, 4, and 5, and to avoid 3, 6, and 7. I've also learned that some bottles labeled BPA-free might actually have BPA in them! Crikey!

Then I find myself a little concerned that these safety-oriented sites may be a little...unscientific. Who can I trust?

I also learned that this is a really funny-looking baby bathtub.

Darn it...I got sucked into reading more just now, and it turns out I shouldn't be giving Baby Rae fluoridated water either! OMG!

I don't really have anything else to say.

----head spinning----

Expenses, Continued...

2010-09-19T21:29:00.002-05:00

Ok...gimme a second here...must collect receipts...

Ok.

Bed rails - $8.54 (at thrift shop) - Baby Rae's sleeping arrangements are in flux right now. It's kind of a boring story, but I'll explain anyway, cuz this is my blog and I can be boring if I want to. We're in the habit of putting Rae to sleep in the evening in our bed, but have been afraid she'll roll off of it. She can't sleep in her crib yet because her crib is in David's office and he's still doing stuff in there when she goes to bed, which would keep her awake. Anyway, we got 2 of these things - $4 each plus tax.

Toy - $0.53 (at thrift shop)

Formula (3 cans) - $35.62

Diapers - $33.58 (total 206 diapers = 16.3 cents each. That's just ok but not great. Sometimes there's just no time to wait for a really good sale.)

Baby Food - $5.79 (includes a 14-cent banana)

Bottled Water - $4.79

Clothing - $6.87 (socks), $3.19 (pumpkin costume), $0.53 (Pooh onesie) = $10.59

I think that's it. Whew.

Total = $99.44

Screech n Babble Practice

2010-09-17T22:44:00.004-05:00

Anatomy of a Feeding Session

2010-09-16T21:01:00.002-05:00

Hey Baby Rae...wanna try a banana?

What's wrong...you don't like?

Uh oh...she's shutting down....

Quick! Let's try something else! How about some avocado?

No?

Sorry, Sweetie. Tomorrow we'll try something better.

Monkey

2010-09-13T09:27:00.005-05:00

Having a baby in the house, it's hard to argue against the theory of evolution. Baby Rae is very monkey like at times.

Her skin doesn't look much better yet. If the Hydocortisone cream doesn't work, I think I'll just call it acne and get over it.

Some new expenses:

$15.00 credit - the doctor's office keeps charging us a copay and then we keep getting a check back from them in the mail with the note "insurance didn't require a copay." So I'm crediting Baby Rae's total. Gee, I can't imagine why health care in this country is so expensive. Maybe it has something to do with administrative gridlock and unnecessary stamp usage.

Bottled Water - $1.07
Wicker clothes hamper - $5.00 (rummage sale)

Total: -$8.93

It's difficult to really capture the expenses that arise with a baby. Our utilities have been more costly since Rae arrived - we've had to keep the house warmer in the winter than we would otherwise, and keep the house cooler in summer. We've used more water washing these bottles ad nauseum - we had our highest electric bill and water bill ever last month. We've certainly used more gasoline because we have to drive our bigger vehicle whenever we travel as a family, and our fuel efficiency is cut in half. At the end of the year I think I'll go through our utility bills to try to quantify this somehow. I know I said we'd only be counting stuff that directly contributes to baby's care, just for the sake of simplicity. I'll do 2 totals. It'll be fun! Yay for data!

At the 8 month mark (which is just in a week or so) I'll do a "where are we at" post, looking at the totals so far, 2/3 of the way through year #1 of Baby Rae's life.

I think I also want to start a page called "Stuff I learned the hard way." You know, things like "Don't stock up on diapers before the baby gets here. She might be allergic to them." That kind of thing. In fact, I think I'll start that today!

Bringing In the Pros

2010-09-11T09:59:00.006-05:00

So we finally called and went to see the doctor. He didn't diagnose her with anything, but recommended some 1% hydrocortizone cream once a day for up to 5 days. Well, that's easy enough.

So got Baby Rae some of the cream (over the counter) - $3.02
Plus, $15.00 copay at the Doc's.

Total: $18.02

I'll let you know how it goes!

The Results Are In

2010-09-09T20:25:00.002-05:00

So a week ago I posted about having gone back to the old reliable formula, and about washing all of our laundry and re-washing all of Baby Rae's clothes in fancy hypoallergenic detergent...and not using fabric softener. And the results?

Well, see for yourself:

Baby Rae's still got bumps...and now they're looking even more red. Poor baby!

So I needn't have worried about confounding variables. Neither variable did a damn thing!

I called the doctor a week ago today for advice...but alas it was the department's day off. Then I forgot to call again until today...but again, it's Thursday and...the department was closed again! Darn it! So I'll call tomorrow. This is looking more and more like eczema to me.

Still she's not bothered by it. But I am!

A few new expenses:

Bottled water (2) - $1.55 (Normally $1.45 each at CVS, on sale for $1 each, minus a 55c coupon, plus tax)
Baby Food (mmmm...we've moved on to fruit. Baby Rae loves the apple/blueberry combo) - $2.05
Baby Bottles (Is it bad that we don't want to do dishes this often so we bought more bottles? I think it's good.) - $3.99
Toys (from thrift shop) - $2.14

Total: $9.73

Confounding Variables

2010-09-03T05:50:00.004-05:00

We decided to go ahead and confound our variables, and change our laundry detergent to one that is "free and clear" of dyes and perfumes and supposedly "hypoallegenic." The bumps on Baby Rae's face haven't changed despite almost a week on the old trusty formula. I hate when my scientific studies get muddied. However, I must remember I'm not writing a journal article, here...I'm being a mom. Moms are allowed to try different things all at the same time and be happy just because it gets better, right?

Worst case scenario is it doesn't get better...then it's off to the doc. But second worst case scenario is that it DOES get better and we don't know why. In that case I could reverse courses on the formula or the detergent, and see if it gets worse again.

Some new expenses:

Fancy detergent - $5.50 (1/2 off in the clearance bin at Kroger...just a coincidence.)
Diapers - $5.33
Baby Food - $1.57

Total: $12.40

Rockabye Baby

2010-09-01T20:42:00.005-05:00

"Rockabye Baby! Lullaby renditions of U2" and "...The Beatles" CDs - $5.30 at thrift shop.

Good stuff. Have a listen to "Sunday Bloody Sunday":

Bumps

2010-09-01T05:16:00.004-05:00

So here's what the bumps on Baby Rae's face look like:

As you can see, not terribly serious. Just kinda sandpaper-y. But she's had them for weeks, so I'm motivated to figure out what's causing them. She's been back on the Similac Sensitive Formula for 4-5 days now, and the bumps are the same. Going to stick with the original plan though, and wait 2 weeks, then change something else to isolate the offending variable.

I've been reading on the web (and viewing pictures of other babies with skin problems on their cheeks) that this may be infantile eczema, which can be triggered by food or environmental allergies, and is more likely when parents have had eczema, allergies, or asthma (I've had all 3). It doesn't seem to itch, though, making this diagnosis questionable.

I feel rather petty, being bothered by bumps on baby's skin. Remember back when there was another baby that Baby Rae was really competitive with? (ok, maybe it wasn't HER that was competitive...) Anyway, Facebook told me that that baby had a seizure a couple nights ago...just out of nowhere! Made me appreciate Rae's silly little skin bumps.

Lots of Updates

2010-08-28T22:02:00.009-05:00

Many things to discuss. More formula drama. Expenses. Always expenses. And a little bit of Momma Drama. Let's get started.

Formula drama. Baby Rae has bumps on her cheeks. We don't know what is causing these little pimple-like bumps...and surprisingly, neither does Google. She's had them for weeks. I'm not sure how many weeks, but they must have shown up since her last doc's appointment (at the end of July) or we would have asked about it. I'm thinking she's had them 4-5 weeks. That's about how long it's been since we started trying other (less expensive) brands of formula. She was tolerating them well with no fussiness, so...great! Right? Not great. We suspect a food allergy. Like maybe...Milk. WHY THE HELL DO PEOPLE DRINK COW'S MILK ANYWAY?? ISN'T THAT JUST WEIRD?

Oh sorry...was I yelling?

So we decided (right after buying the previously mentioned cans of formula, of course) that we would try Baby Rae on soy formula ($15.90). We tried it for the first time a couple days ago. She didn't seem to like the taste. So today I mixed it half-and-half with her regular formula, with the intention of fading to the soy formula. Well, today she was unusually whiny. I blame the soy! So we're giving the soy formula a break.

At this point, we're going to do the obvious (or what should have been obvious, but wasn't). We're going back to the formula Baby Rae was drinking (and doing well on) for several months. Similac Sensitive Formula in the white and orange can. We're going to do a two-week trial on the Similac to see if the bumps go away. If they don't, we'll try to control for other potential environmental allergens.

Expenses. So today I went to WalMart (ick) and bought this stuff for Baby Rae:

There's some sweet peas, oatmeal, 2 cans of Similac, some Similac formula to-go packets, and some bottles. Total = $55.49

Also, I got a coupon in the mail for $10 off of a $10 purchase at JC Penny, so I went there the other day to check out the baby items. I came across this clearance bin of summer clothes, and got Baby Rae the following clothes:

After using the $10 coupon, the total was...

wait for it...

wait for it...

$1.06! Cool!

Anyway, she's going to outgrow these before next summer so we're using them really fast now! Here she is modeling one of her new outfits:

It's her first blue jeans!

So moving on...today we got a toy at the thrift shop...$0.53.

Lastly, I got the bill for $15.00 for Baby Rae's copay for her last doctor's visit. Just paid it with online bill pay.

So grand total today: $87.98

Momma Drama: Ok, the last bit of news...Baby Rae can hold her own bottle. Look:

She doesn't need me anymore!! *sob*

Ok. End Momma Drama.

Fruit Salad

2010-08-24T12:55:00.000-05:00

Due to popular demand (ok, one comment...) here's Baby Rae in her fruit salad outfit:

Tuesdays are the best day of the week.

Girls with Curls

2010-08-22T21:33:00.001-05:00

More expenses today:

2 cans formula - $23.25

Bottled water - $3.20

Clothing - $1.07 (At thrift shop. It's a really cute onesie with fruit on it. I think it makes Baby Rae look like a fruit salad.)

Total: $28.52

In other news, I think Baby Rae is going to have curly hair. Look!

Look at those little curly Qs!

Guess that's all for now. Good night!

I Haz A Question

2010-08-16T09:13:00.002-05:00

Yes, Baby Rae?

"Is it bedtime yet?"

It's only taken us 6 months or so to figure out what "tired" looks like on a baby. Contrary to our belief, it's not getting quieter and dozing off in your chair. No... now we realize tired looks a lot like a baby that isn't happy no matter what you do. So just in the last couple of weeks we've started putting her to bed at 7:30PM - because it's about this time every day that she gets impossible to please - and hurray!! She always falls asleep!

Too bad she won't stay asleep all night anymore though. We're pushing the 7-month mark here and we're back to baby waking up hungry every 3 hours again. This is the 3rd round of this kind of thing. I wonder if there's a 7-month growth spurt.

The Look of Love

2010-08-12T05:55:00.002-05:00

I really like this picture. This is the look she gets on her face when I make like her teddy bear is flying toward her. A look of absolute delight!

Got a great deal on Pampers at Amazon. Basically combined a bunch of different discounts and coupons (which I found out about through Baby Cheapskate over there in my sidebar)...the end result being a box of 204 diapers for $10.79.

Cool!

Sitting Practice

2010-08-09T08:48:00.003-05:00

We got this cool little chair for Baby Rae at the thrift shop for $1.07:

It's made of firm foam so it's soft but supportive. It's a great little chair! I wish we would've found it a month or so ago though...she's verging on being too big for it. Her chubby little legs get kinda stuck in the leg holes when I try to take her out.. She likes it though.

Let's see...what else is going on...

I have some expenses to report...

Diapers, wipes, and formula - $26.82 (This was a pretty good deal...about $8 of this was for 3 cans of Walgreens brand formula - normally that alone would cost about $40 but it was on clearance because they're changing their packaging. The rest was for Pampers diapers, which were on sale. I also got 2 boxes of baby wipes for free because I had 2 "buy diapers get wipes free" coupons. That's a lotta baby stuff.)

Oh, and another can of formula from last week...$15.20

And more bottled water...$2.14.

Also found some baby bottles in the clearance bin at Kroger - marked down from $5 each to $2.50 each, and I had (2) $2 coupons so only 50 cents each, plus tax - $1.20

Total for today: $46.43

Sidetracked

2010-08-08T14:46:00.002-05:00

The Visit

2010-08-03T11:50:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we took Baby Rae to visit the Reproductive Endocrinologist (aka "fertility doctor") who helped us conceive her. It was a joyful moment for all involved.

Thanks again, Dr. Holden.

A few new expenses to report:

Formula and Bottled Water - $16.79
Prune Juice - $2.66 (a little too much of the rice cereal...oops....)
Toy - $2.14 at Thrift Shop

Total: $21.59

So here are the reviews on the baby food we got a couple weeks ago:
sweet peas - loved it!
carrots - loved it!
squash - loved it!
green beans - hated it.
turkey and gravy - no likey much
sweet potatoes - loved it!
chicken and gravy - haven't opened this yet.
rice cereal - causes constipation. Who knew!?
oatmeal - likes it. But I'm scared to give her much after the whole rice cereal debacle.
mac n cheese - liked it but didn't love it. I can't blame her. It was no Kraft.

I guess I need to do some research on portion sizes.

Cruising

2010-08-01T22:15:00.000-05:00

Lately David has been taking Baby Rae for walks. Look how cute.

Dances With Cats

2010-07-27T22:14:00.001-05:00

I haven't been writing much lately. I'm not sure why. But I'll pick it up! Why? I don't know.

First, a few expenses:

Toy chest - $6.40 at Thrift Shop (it's so good it gets capitalized now.)
Bottled water - $2.14
Toy piano - $2.14 at Thrift Shop
Onesie with a bunny on it: $3.21

Total: $13.89

Hm...running low on formula...and diapers...and bottled water...

Anyway...Baby Rae had her 6 month doctors visit today. She's in the 87th percentile for height, the 70th percentile for weight, and the 65th percentile for head circumference. Completely healthy! She didn't enjoy her shots, however. Here she is in her playpen:

6 Months

2010-07-20T20:44:00.001-05:00

Today is Baby Rae's 6 month birthday! Hooray!!

We celebrated by getting her a bunch of different solid foods to try.

The one I'm most excited about is the Mac n Cheese. Baby Rae might have to wrestle it out of my hands.

We got sweet peas, carrots, squash, green beans, turkey and gravy, sweet potatoes, and chicken and gravy. No fruit cuz I've been told to hold off on that or she'll reject everything else in favor of the sweet stuff.

Today for lunch baby Rae had oatmeal, and later she had rice cereal. We've fed her oatmeal a handful of times before, but this is the first time she actually swallowed some. Success!

During my years of working in photo labs, I promised myself I'd never take pictures of my future child with food all over her face. So I won't.

Baby food: $6.24

When Teddy Bears Attack

2010-07-17T16:32:00.001-05:00

A few new expenses:

Formula: 1 can - $13.87 ($19.99 - $2 coupon - $5 formula check + tax)

Formula: 1 box individually wrapped for diaper bag - $5.86 ($10.49 - $5 formula check, + tax)

Bottled water: $1.07

Total: $20.80

I think that's all...

Adding On...

2010-07-11T22:42:00.004-05:00

More expenses:

Formula (2 cans) - $14.49 and $17.99 = $32.48 + tax = $34.67

Bottled water - $2.14

Infants Advil - $7.37

Total: $44.18

Hm. This is a boring post so far.

Today I pureed cauliflower to make what the South Beach Diet calls "Mashed 'Potatoes'." Guess what! It looks just like mashed potatoes!

...and tastes just like cauliflower.

Another Milestone

2010-07-10T14:16:00.003-05:00

C'mon Now

2010-07-01T21:45:00.001-05:00

Is this or isn't this the cutest baby that ever lived? (<--not a rhetorical question. I really want an answer. More comments please!!)

Smiling

2010-07-01T07:14:00.001-05:00

I think it's been a while since I had a picture of Baby Rae smiling on here...and she smiles all the time! The best is when she laughs though. It's a laugh of pure baby joy. She really likes when I pretend I'm eating her feet.

A Quick Post

2010-06-30T07:04:00.001-05:00

Must get ready for work...but a quick post to break the silence.

And a few expenses! Yay!

Baby Formula - $16.00 (normally 21.99, minus $7 in coupon/formula check, plus tax)
Bottled Water - $1.06
Teething Toys - $5.30
Baby Orajel -$1.73 (on clearance at CVS - 75% off)

Total: $24.09

I Like This One

2010-06-22T13:09:00.006-05:00

...because I think she looks like me. Here I am with my big sis:

And here's Baby Rae:

I guess her face is a little rounder than mine. On second thought, she doesn't look much like me. We'll check back when she's 2.

A few expenses to report:

A new (used) baby swing (this one swings sideways!) from the thrift shop: $5.32
Bottled Water: $3.20
Photofinishing: $4.03
Wipes: $1.10

Total: $13.65.

Long lost relative?

2010-06-19T17:10:00.003-05:00

It was suggested to me that Baby Rae looks like Winston Churchill. You be the judge:

No Poll

2010-06-16T21:35:00.000-05:00

Well, the Poll module didn't work so well...so please leave a comment to tell me which picture to use for the Gerber baby search.

I expect at least 3 comments! Don't make me call you!!

Help Choose Please

2010-06-15T22:58:00.005-05:00

I need your help, blog readers. Baby Rae has expressed to me that she would like to enter the Gerber Generation Photo Search contest. Now we need help picking a picture to submit. ~~A poll has been opened over in the right sidebar~~. Please ~~vote~~ comment for the baby picture that you think makes Baby Rae look most Gerber-ish.

1. Baby Rae Lookin Around

2. Who, me?

3. Baby Loves Summer

4. Baby in Plaid Chair

5. Baby Rae in Blue

That's it for now. Apparently you can enter once a month, so maybe we'll do this again next month. Don't forget to cast your vote in the poll! You've got until Friday!

I Forgot I Have a Blog.

2010-06-10T22:51:00.004-05:00

Ok, not really, but kind of. I've been building a website for a business venture that I'm collaborating on with David and a colleague. Here it is. David's doing the video, I'm doing the website, and our friend is the "talent." We're doing training videos for behavior analysts and charging for continuing education units, which are required by the certification board. Anyway, I've been obsessively working on this in my free time.

But I haven't forgotten my bloggy!

I have some expenses to report.

Formula. 4 cans. I got a great deal on these! Check it out.

Regular price at CVS: $31.99 each before tax x 4 cans (which is overpriced, by the way) = $127.96

On sale for $22.99
$8.00 in manufacturers coupons
$20.00 in formula checks (these are sent out by the company - they're like coupons only in check form so you can use them with another coupon)
$15.00 in Extra Care Bucks received - meaning $15 to spend on anything next time I'm at the store.

So all said and done, these 4 cans were $48.96 + $3.30 tax = $52.26. That's about 60% off! I rock.

Also, baby drinking water to mix the formula: $2.14.
And...baby wipes: $12.16

Total: $66.56

Baby Rae Rolls Over. The Video.

2010-05-31T22:43:00.003-05:00

On the Move

2010-05-27T04:53:00.000-05:00

Hey! Guess who rolled over all by herself yesterday!

I Love Tuesdays

2010-05-24T23:26:00.006-05:00

There are many reasons I love Tuesdays. Most importantly, I get to be home from work with my little sweetie.

Here she is in blue:

What else do I love about Tuesdays? It's trash/recycling pick up day. So finally we can get rid of all the recyclables we've been collecting, which always clutter up the house.

I do have some expenses to report. First of all...diapers. These aren't just any diapers though. They are Baby's First Fashion Statement diapers. Check it out:

That's right...jeans diapers. They're a little big cuz they didn't exactly have Baby Rae's size. And they're Huggies so they're going to give her a rash if she wears them for too long. But what the hell. Women have always suffered for fashion. Might as well learn early that looking good does not always equal feeling good. Right, Baby Rae? Here's a close up:

Thanks, KT for the tip on these.

Anyway, Jeans Diapers.. $6.39.

We also got a glider chair at a rummage sale for $40.00. Look:

A little pricey for a used chair, but you should try sitting in it. It feels like a rocking chair only instead of rocking on a chair you're rocking on pure butter. Butter floating in a sea of cream cheese. And no chance of cats' tails being run over. We wanted a chair like this downstairs cuz Baby Rae likes rocking.

Ok, what else...

We got a high chair at the thrift shop for $8.54.
Formula: $17.60
Nursery Water: $1.07
Baby Bathtub: $2.14 (From thrift shop. Didn't like the one we got there before.)
Baby cereal: $1.70 (Doc says we can start giving her some solid food now!)

I was able to sell the cans of Enfamil Premium on eBay for $26.00 So that will get credited to the total. Also credited to the total: $15.00 copay for the last doctor's visit. The doc's office sent me a refund, because apparently insurance didn't require a copay after all. Can you believe it? Me neither.

So...grand totals:
Spent: $77.44
Credited: $41.00

Net: - $36.44

Ok, my brain hurts. Good night.

2010-05-20T21:36:00.001-05:00

Hey - look! It's Baby Rae on her 4-month birthday!

Ok...a few new expenses to report. Or, actually 2 new expenses and 2 things I forgot from earlier days.

Baby Formula - $9.38
Nursery Water (to mix formula) - $6.41
Batteries (for swing, mobile) - $10.68
Playpen - $4.27 (from thrift shop)

Total today: $30.74

The batteries and nursery water were things I've bought in the past and forgot to report. My bad!

The Results Are In

2010-05-16T22:35:00.003-05:00

Baby Rae is indeed a bourgeois baby. Look how happy she is when she's on her non-Premium Enfamil.

Earlier today, however, she wasn't doing so well. That's because this morning we switched from the Enfamil Lipil formula to the Enfamil Premium Lipil formula. The difference between the two is that the Premium variety includes "Prebiotics." The Enfamil Website has this to say about their so-called "improved" formula:

Improved Enfamil PREMIUM with a unique, patented dual prebiotic blend, now promotes the growth of good bacteria throughout more of your baby's digestive tract than our previous formula.

Prebiotics feed the good bacteria, found naturally in the digestive tract — where 70% of your baby's immune system is located. And emerging science suggests prebiotic may support your baby's developing immune system. With Improved Enfamil Premium you can give a formula designed to help support your baby's natural defenses.

Well that's all very nice...but my science refutes their claims of greatness. Here's the data:

Allow me to describe to you what this graph represents.

On 5/6/10 we went from giving Baby Rae the Enfamil Premium to giving her the non-premium Enfamil. Over the next 5 days you can see a clear downward trend in the amount of time she spent per day with colic/inconsolable fussiness (defined as crying or whining that lasts longer than 15 minutes, which is not alleviated by feeding, cleaning, burping, or sleeping). Finally from 5/12 through 5/15 we had none. None! Yay! At that point we had a stable baseline and could change the "intervention" (change the formula type).

So we did. And within a few hours Baby Rae was whining and crying inconsolably. We discontinued the experiment at that point, not wanting to torture the poor thing. But you can see the trend was on its way up again.

Hooray for science!

So now I'm ebaying the Enfamil Premium I have already bought. Whatever that auction brings I'll subtract from the overall expense total.

Miscellaneous

2010-05-11T20:22:00.002-05:00

First, a few expenses to report:

6 packages diapers - $32.03. On sale at Walgreens for $5 again, so I stocked up even though we still have a lot left from the last time I stocked up.

9oz bottles (she's eating greater quantities now) - $14.99

Miscellaneous silly stuff from the thrift shop (a play mat that we don't need but was too cheap and cute to pass up, a picture for the baby's room wall, 2 baby outfits that I ended up not liking) - $6.41

Some changes at work. I've changed my schedule so that starting next week I'll be working four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days. This way I can be home all day with Baby Rae one more day a week. Yay! Those 10-hour days might be killer though. I'm doing a 3-month trial. I expect to be tired a lot.

Baby Rae hasn't really had much in the way of colic or fussiness over the past week. Maybe later this week we'll do the formula switcheroo.

I'm doing a 7-day trial at a local gym. I have a feeling I'll be joining up within the week. I like it and it's very close to work - perfect for working out during lunch hour.

It's About Time She Made Herself Useful.

2010-05-08T10:26:00.003-05:00

("Thanks for the new outfit, Nana!")

Day 1

2010-05-06T22:15:00.002-05:00

Day 1 on Bourgeois Formula: Success! Baby Rae had a great day and night. Fingers crossed that it continues.

Colic Returns

2010-05-05T21:09:00.002-05:00

Poor Baby Rae...she's been having a rough few days.

Unfortunately, there's no really easy way to identify the source of the problem. I ate pizza on Sunday with cheese on it...so it could be the dairy thing. But also, we switched from one type of formula to another a few days ago - from Enfamil "regular" to Enfamil "Premium". She's taken the premium version before - we got a few cans free from the Enfamil folks - so it didn't occur to me this might be an issue. But after seeing how she's cried over the last few days, it occurred to me that the best time we've had with her was the past couple of weeks...when she was taking the "regular" Enfamil. Whatever. Very confusing. You would think Premium would be better. Perhaps Baby Rae just isn't a Premium baby. Perhaps she's a bourgeois baby.

So David and I have set up a data collection system and a plan to figure out exactly what's going on. We're going to do a scatter plot, which looks sort of like this:

	Date
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
7:00 AM
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
11:00 AM
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
8:00 PM
9:00 PM
10:00 PM
11:00 PM

We'll chart when she's fussy/colicky and also when she eats to see if there's a correlation.

Also, I went out today and bought a can of the bourgeois Enfamil ($22.21). We're going to give this to her tomorrow, and for the next 2 weeks (as a supplement to breast milk). Then we're going to switch to the Premium Enfamil for 2 weeks, continuing data collection. I'll share our findings, of course.

I just want her to be a happy baby again. Playing with science is a nice distraction in the meantime.

Formula for Success - Updated

2010-05-03T22:01:00.009-05:00

What a cheesy blog post name.

There was a great deal on Enfamil baby formula this week. I'll have to tell you about it.

Walgreens had the big cans of formula on sale - the 23.4 oz can is normally $26.99. It was on sale this week for $21.99. I had 2 coupons for $2 off each can, and also a form for a $15.00 rebate if I spend more than $40 on formula (before coupons). So...at the end of the whole process, each can will be $12.49. That's pretty fabulous for this size. Yep...I'm feeling quite proud of myself...

Adding to the grand total...$24.98

These formula people have quite a racket going on...and I completely fall for it. There are the exact same nutrients in almost the exact same quantities in the "Parents Choice" generic Walmart brand formula as in the Enfamil brand. And the Walmart brand costs half as much. But the label isn't as pretty and shiny as the Enfamil label.

See?

Plus, the Enfamil folks boast about including DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish that is supposed to make babies smarter). So I jump through all these sale/coupon/rebate hoops, just so I can spend the same as if I would have just bought the Walmart brand in the first place.

I really like that shiny label. Plus, there's just something about a brand name that isn't a real word but is close to being a real word, that just makes me think it must be wonderful. Enfamil....Like "Infant Meal" only fancier!! Nothing fancy about "Parents Choice." Those Enfamil people are so smart.

Hm...what else to discuss...my fitness program is going only marginally well. Since going back to work I just haven't consistently made time for exercise...only about twice a week. I have been trying exercise videos on Netflix though...just haven't found any I like. I did walk today...this week I'll do better. And make David watch the baby while I exercise.

OMG...I'm 18 cents away from my first Thousand in baby expenses!!!

UPDATE - I forgot I actually used $6 in manufacturer's coupons in this transaction, so the total for the two cans of formula was actually $18.98. The regular price for both cans was $53.98, minus $10 (store sale), minus $4 (formula checks), minus $6 (manufacturer's coupons), and minus $15 (manufacturer's rebate). Now that's a deal.

The Magic Baby Swing

2010-04-29T21:16:00.001-05:00

I actually have a few minutes to post something, but I'm not sure what to say! Surely I could find something to ramble on about. Maybe I'll just spend a minute talking about my current favorite baby product.

This swing by Graco:

I'm fairly sure that lots of other swings would be just as fabulous, but this is the one Baby Rae is swinging in right now. We actually don't own this swing - it's on loan from a friend - but it has worked miracles. It calms her down whenever she has digestive distress. When she's happy it makes her happier. She just lies back and watches the little bears dangling over her head. Within 5 minutes she's snoozing. It plays cute tunes and rocks and rocks and rocks and rocks.

Good Times

2010-04-28T22:05:00.001-05:00

Baby Rae doesn't have colic anymore. She's a happy baby now! Hooray!

Expenses to report:

2 cans Enfamil Formula - $23.38
Diapers - 12 packages - on sale at Walgreens, only $5 each! - total = $63.92

Total: $87.30

I'm about to discuss something that none of my 4 readers will be interested in. Walgreens diapers say "New and Improved" on the package...and they actually ARE both New and Improved! They're great now! They're stretchier and better contoured for baby's butt, and less bunchy, and even prettier than the old ones. I love Walgreens this week!

Ok, rave over.

Things are going great since Baby Rae stopped crying every night. It could be because of the no-dairy diet I'm on, although I can't bring myself to add dairy back in to see if she reverts to her previous ways. I just don't want to see her cry like that again. So apparently I'm off dairy as long as I'm breast feeding. I hope my bones don't crumble to the ground.

Milestones

2010-04-23T06:31:00.001-05:00

Lots of milestones being reached lately. Baby Rae now sleeps through the night every night! She sleeps like a normal person now - about 8 hours. It rocks!

I started a dairy-free diet last Saturday (6 days ago) to see if it would help with her colic, considering that hard-to-digest lactose may be upsetting her stomach after passing to her through breast milk. Well, hell's bells...she hasn't had colic for the last 4 nights! There is a confounding variable, in that babies tend to "age out" of colic around 3 months...and she just reached the 3 month mark a few days ago. After she's been colic-free for a week I'll add dairy back in and see how she does. (A little ABAB reversal design, for those of you with scientific leanings.)

We borrowed a swing from a friend that can support Baby Rae's head at this early age. She loves it.

Hm...let's see...what else...

I guess that's it for now.

I need more pictures. This whole going-to-work thing is cramping my picture-taking style.

Some Pictures

2010-04-19T22:31:00.001-05:00

Ok...a couple of pictures.

Moose Head Mounted On Pink Wall

Baby Rae Learning to Read

Adding To The List

2010-04-19T10:47:00.001-05:00

I've been a bit of a blog deadbeat. Still working out how to fit everything in my new schedule while I bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan. So here are some expenses that have accumulated. Sorry, no pictures today...

Enfamil Formula - $11.40. I'm still breastfeeding, but going back to work has meant supplementing with formula sometimes. C'est la vie. (Did I spell that right, LCP?)

Moose head - $3.20. We got this fabulous stuffed moose head for the baby's room at the local thrift shop. I'll really have to post a pic.

Changing Table Pad - $1.07. Also at the thrift shop. It came with a nice terry cloth cover but David likes to leave the cover off because she slides really well on the water-proof fabric. For some reason he likes the baby sliding easily.

Fenugreek - $14.62

24-pack of Aquafina Water - $3.55. To have on hand for her travel bag to mix with formula

Total for Today: $33.84.

I'll add a picture or two tonight after I get home from work.

The Most Important Thing...Self Discovery

2010-04-15T22:38:00.002-05:00

Here is today's cuteness.

And then I go to bed.

I Use Firefox Stumble When I Only Have One Free Hand

2010-04-14T07:19:00.002-05:00

...and I find things like this:

This Is How I Feel These Days

2010-04-10T14:43:00.005-05:00

Last night I slept 14 hours (minus getting up 3 times to feed the baby).

Bathtime

2010-04-07T07:21:00.000-05:00

Tired

2010-04-04T21:21:00.002-05:00

Thought for the day: Thank god for whatever innate mechanism in babies makes them fall asleep when they're rocking.

I've been very tired since going back to work. I'm trying to fit everything in and it doesn't fit anymore, so sleep has been the thing to go. I'm sure that's poor prioritization. It was fun coming back to work and seeing everyone though...and hearing that I was missed. I have a lot of work to do.

Q and A

2010-04-02T06:41:00.008-05:00

Baby Rae broke out the summer wear yesterday in honor of a rare 80 degree April day. ("Thanks for the dress, Nana!")

I wanted to address a few fabulous questions that have shown up in the comments.

Q. What will you do as a mother to ensure that your baby stays at a healthy and proportionate weight as she grows up?

A. Keep the TV off and model good habits. This is a primary reason I started walking. (On a side note, I'm taking the week off from walking because I needed some time to adjust to going back to work without the additional strain in my schedule of finding time to walk. I'll be starting again this weekend.) I have a pretty distorted view about how to be healthy - it's been warped by the media over the years. I hope to send her the message that there is no perfect weight or body type, and that most things are fine in moderation. Most importantly, I want her to be proud of who she is, regardless of her weight, and just not obsess about it (either of us).

Q. In the picture of Baby Rae's leg following her immunization, she has a spongebob band-aid. However, band-aids have not been included in your total? Are the spongebob band-aids just for Rae or does the whole family use them. I think they should be included in the total. Thank you.

A. Ah...very astute observation, Anonymous. The short answer is this: the nurse put the band-aid on at the doctor's office...so...a freebie. But here's the longer answer: I currently have Dora the Explorer band-aids in my own medicine cabinet that I bought about a year ago because they were on sale and I really liked them for myself. When I was injecting myself with hormones to conceive Baby Rae it made me feel really happy to see my abdomen covered with Dora band-aids. It made the mood swings and hot flashes a little more tolerable - and got me some good sympathy hugs too. So I recommend them. You'd be surprised how such a little thing as a cartoon stuck to you can lift you up!

Q. Looking over your old posts, I see you have a baby swing. I have heard parents rave about swings when they are in your position. Have you tried it to calm her?

A. I have not tried the swing yet, because I thought that she would need more head control to sit upright in it. I should really try it anyway. Thanks for the suggestion!

Ok, off to get ready for work now. Love the comments!

Back to Work

2010-03-31T21:42:00.001-05:00

I haven't had much time to write now that maternity leave is over. It's overwhelming to do what I was doing before and add in a 40-hour work week. Right now I'm watching a Seinfeld rerun while Baby Rae is having a colic fit next to me on the couch. Every so often I offer her a comforting word or foot-squeeze, but there's not much I can do to make the crying stop except to wait it out. I'm really looking forward to this part of babyhood being over.

A couple of expenses to add...

Nursing bra: $13.78
Baby wipes: $12.16

I was going to answer a couple of questions from commenters, but that will have to wait. Time for sleep.

My Baby Is Making Me Fat

2010-03-25T20:36:00.003-05:00

So yesterday I started limiting carbohydrates. Overnight, it became clear that my milk production was suffering. Oh well...pass the doughnuts!

CVS has a really good deal on Pampers right now, and I've been wanting to try them to see if Baby Rae's butt will tolerate them. So today I bought a package of size 2's and a package of baby wipes - total: $5.74.

Baby's colicky tonight. I've been flipping her like a pancake to try to find her a comfy position. It's not working.

Mmmmm...Pancakes...

Scattered Updates

2010-03-24T09:45:00.007-05:00

Well, I have to go back to work on Monday. I'm not looking forward to it. It's time for me to start taking small steps toward a job that I'm excited about. I've always felt strongly about helping overweight kids (and by definition, their families) learn to live healthier lives. Ironically, I know how to do this, but haven't always taken care of my own health. This became glaringly apparent while I was pregnant, as I developed diabetes and hypertension, and learned quickly what it felt like to have absolutely no energy and no hope of feeling better anytime soon.

As much as I'd like to, I can't blame it all on the pregnancy. For some time now, my cholesterol and triglycerides have been high. I've had blood sugar levels in the pre-diabetic range prior to getting pregnant, and my blood pressure has been inching upward over the years, inversely proportionate to my overall declining fitness level. I've been putting off doing something about it.

While I was in the hospital, admitted 2 weeks early because of the hypertension, I made a promise to myself that I'd take better care of my health. I was out of time and there was no longer a tomorrow to push it all off onto. It really felt like this was my last wake-up call, and problems down the road would be irreversible. And statistics support that. Most people who have gestational diabetes end up with type II diabetes within 5 or 10 years.

So I've been walking almost every day now for a half hour. It doesn't sound like much - just walking - but my energy level has doubled since I started and I've lost 3 pounds over the last month without significantly modifying my diet. I used to exercise a lot but it's been years since I've been in a routine, and I had forgotten how much better it really makes you feel. I do know one thing though - nobody ever wants to start an exercise program. If you're waiting around until you feel like doing it, it'll never happen. But after you start it's self-perpetuating. It's just a matter of breaking through that initial wall.

Beginning today, I'm also going back to a modified version of my pregnancy-diabetic diet - limited carbohydrates, but not limited calories or protein. Fat intake should be moderate but I'm not going to try to limit it too much. The carb breakdown looks like this: 30 grams with breakfast, 45 with lunch, 45 with dinner, and 3 snacks including 15 grams of carbohydrate each. I felt really good on that diet, and I think it'll keep me on the right track with losing weight (considering my problem foods are all carbohydrate-based) and avoiding diabetes. The "modified" part is that one day a week, I'll let myself eat anything I've really been craving.

I think the first step in helping others to be healthy is to get healthy myself. So I'll continue walking. I've been trying to add exercise videos - and every other day or so I try a new one on Netflix. I haven't found any I like enough to do twice though. My new policy - if it feels like crap, I'm not doing it. Take THAT, Jillian Michaels. I'm tired of starting exercise programs that don't feel good, white-knuckling it for a week or two, quitting, and then beating myself up over it. I'm a behavioral therapist, dammit! - I know how to train people to create new habits! If the reinforcement (reward) obtained by engaging in a new behavior is too small or too far away, or the new behavior is too aversive or too difficult, people left on their own won't continue to do it. If someone quits on a behavior program I write, I don't blame the person - I blame the program. This should be no different. If someone quits a diet or exercise program it doesn't mean they're lazy or undisciplined; it means the reinforcement was inadequate (too small, too far away, or not powerful enough) and/or the task too demanding.

Maybe I'll write a book. The Behavior Analyst's Guide to Good Health. Yeah, I'm definitely going to have to be in better shape before I try to market that one.

Speaking of good health, Baby Rae had her first immunizations yesterday.

Poor little thing. Her face turned a new shade of red we had never seen before. She was a little upset.

So a few new expenses to add to the total:

Doctors copays: $30.00 ($15.00 each for two appointments. One was yesterday, the other I just got around to paying from January.)

Infant Tylenol - $7.46

And look at this cool baby play area we got at the thrift shop Saturday ($4.24):

Uh oh...Princess Rae is waking up. Gotta go.

Cute Baby Pictures

2010-03-18T14:24:00.003-05:00

Baby Rae has been caught smiling lately. They're short, fleeting smiles, so these pictures don't really capture them in their full glory...but I still wanted to share.

And here she is in her carseat:

Me and Mittens

2010-03-17T12:19:00.003-05:00

Taking a break from the baby for a moment...

An interesting turn of events. I mentioned that last Wednesday I started changing my diet in order to lose weight and get healthier. It's been difficult to determine an appropriate calorie load for the day because I'm breastfeeding, which requires a lot of energy. In the past I've been able to lose weight while eating 1600 calories a day. I figured I'd round that up to 2000 to compensate for the expenditure associated with nursing (about 500 calories a day). Well, I've lost a couple pounds but it seems that my milk supply is suffering as a result. I've had to supplement with formula for the last few days, which I hadn't had to do since I started taking Fenugreek. So, dieting is going to have to wait. Instead I'll focus on making healthier food choices - like adding vegetables and whole grains - and not attempt to restrict anything.

I'm still walking every day...14 days in a row - about 30 minutes a session now. So my change for this week will be to also do an exercise video of some kind every day. Netflix is great for this - they have thousands of exercise videos to try out, and a lot of them you can stream on the computer whenever you want.

Ok, back to the baby.

Got a great question in the comments the other day..."Has being a new mother made you think of any devices or products that could be useful in rearing newborn, but which do not yet exist on the market?" There is only one thing I've identified so far as being a need on the market, and for all I know it actually exists somewhere. I just haven't seen it. So here's the situation:

When a baby is born they often have scratches on their face or body caused by their own fingernails when in utero. The face scratching continues after the baby is born also, so some baby clothes (like these gowns) are made with built-in mittens that you can pull over baby's hands. These gowns were wonderful when she was really little and I was overwhelmed, and the last thing I wanted to learn how to do was trim or file those very very small fingernails. In fact, even though we had lots of baby clothes given to us, we went out and bought more of these gowns just for the built-in mittens.

Well that's all great, but 90% of newborn clothing does not have the built-in mittens. So if you're like me, you have a lot of great (and very cute) clothes that the baby is busy outgrowing that you don't want to put her in because of the fingernail situation. I realize I'm a little avoidant, and a better mommy would have just filed the nails sooner. But even after I finally filed them (about week 4 or 5) they were still sharp and she could still scratch herself. I had never filed anyone else's nails and didn't know how hard I could do it without shaving off her itty bitty fingerprints. Anyway, you can see why I was grateful for the gowns.

They do make these useless little mitts that you can put on your baby for this purpose. They look cute but they fall off within a few minutes of putting them on. Even now, every so often I find a lone mitt between the couch cushions or in a desk drawer, from the 3-or-so days we actually tried to use these things. We asked the nurse at the hospital during Baby Rae's 3-day follow-up appointment what we could use instead. She suggested we put socks on her hands - they're longer than the mitts and have more elastic in them to hold them on her hands. Well, Baby Rae looked like a friggen lobster in those things. I felt like a bad mom (again) for making her look so ridiculous. So back to the gowns with the built-in mitts.

So here's what the market needs. Longer mitts with a good-sized strip of velcro (the prickly side of the velcro) around the wrist, which could be used to stick the mitts to baby's other clothing. With this kind of mitt, the baby could wear any long-sleeved onesie or sleeper and the mitts wouldn't fall off within the first minute. There would still be the fingernail problem with the short-sleeved onesie, but at least babies born in the winter (like mine) could be comfortable in their long-sleeved clothing and have their faces protected from their hands.

Perhaps I shall go forth and invent it! Too late for me, but I'm sure future moms everywhere would rejoice.

No Time

2010-03-16T14:39:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to write but Baby Rae has been keeping me very busy. And when she does sleep during the day I've been trying to get things done...like our taxes, paying bills, putting freezes on my credit bureau reports because I fell for a phishing scam a few weeks back... Lots of business to take care of before I go back to work. Baby first, then business, then blog.

She was also up every 2 hours last night. There's a reason 40 year old women aren't very fertile.

Baby Sling

2010-03-12T13:26:00.006-06:00

I've been wanting to try a baby sling, and this week I finally looked into it. I remembered an acquaintance in grad school being a parenting expert and watching her demonstrate how to tie one. I made a mental note that if I ever had a baby I'd carry her around in a sling. I just thought it was a really convenient and intimate way to keep a baby close by. (We already have a front-carrier for the baby - a gift from her great-grandma - but she doesn't have the neck strength yet to support her head it in. We'll use that when she's a little older.)

So I found this video (among many other similar ones) on YouTube:

I went out and got 6 yards of stretch jersey fabric (T-shirt material) - purple psychedelic fabric for $2/yard at Walmart ($12.81). I cut it in half lengthwise, leaving me with 2 pieces of fabric, each 6 yards by about 2 feet. To make this wrap, you only need one of the two pieces.

Baby Rae really likes being in there and it really frees me up to move around. It's a win-win!

So, an update on my getting-in-shape project... I've gone for a 20+ minute walk every day since March 3rd. On Wednesday of this week, I started focusing in on my diet using SparkPeople - a free site that makes it very easy to analyze your diet and track your exercise, goals, etc. It makes cool graphs too.

Extremes

2010-03-09T20:49:00.003-06:00

Just a quick post today...

Found another 4 packages of Walgreens diapers on sale for $2.19 each - that's a total of $9.35 - only $.04 per diaper!

Baby Rae has been colicky lately. I've got her on my lap in the only position she'll tolerate right now. They say this kind of thing peaks around 6 weeks, and usually resolves by 3 months. I hope so. It's hard seeing her in distress for hours almost every day. It's much nicer when she's in her happy, peaceful state. Like the picture.

Diaper Drama, Part II

2010-03-05T13:08:00.008-06:00

When I was pregnant I dreamed of dressing up my future baby in animal costumes. Here, she is a lamb.

Typing one handed today...sleeping baby on my right arm.

So after the Huggies Diaper Debacle and the CVS Diaper Disappointment, I decided to try Walgreens brand diapers. Fortunately, they have a trial size! ($2.98)

So we tried them...and lo and behold, they were great! No red baby butt! So, anonymous snarky commenter...maybe the problem is NOT with my child's butt after alll!

So I went out to get more of these fabulous things and it turned out they were on clearance because Walgreens is changing the packaging of the product. So I basically cleared the shelves of all of their Size 1's and Size 2's! ($57.32, or about $0.10 per diaper. For comparison's sake, the regular price for Pampers is about $0.30 each.)

So we got 11 packages. At the rate we go through diapers, these should last...weeks!

We splurged on a baby luxury yesterday, too. Check it out:

It's a bouncy vibrating chair thing that also plays music ($26.69). I think she likes it!

On another subject, I've started working toward getting in shape again. I promised myself I'd start thinking about this 6 weeks after the C Section. Well, that was Wednesday. So I went for 20-minute walks on Wednesday and Thursday, and plan to walk every day. At the 7 week mark (next Wed.) I'll take a good look at my diet so I can take steps to avoid becoming diabetic-for-real. After that I will start a daily yoga practice. I'm going to make one change at a time.

Wow...this was a long one with one hand.

Total today: $86.99

Diaper Drama

2010-03-03T10:52:00.003-06:00

Continuing our quest for the perfect diaper...

We bought a package of CVS brand diapers to see if they irritate Baby Rae's butt the way Huggies do. I figured if they work out, I'd stock up on them right now - CVS is having a big sale on their store-brand merchandise, and they would have been about half the price of the Walmart diapers. Also looking for a way to avoid being tied to Walmart for the next 2 years.

Well, all signs point to the CVS diapers also irritating her. We put them on her yesterday and saw an increase in redness by nighttime. Then we replaced them with the trusty Walmart diapers overnight, and her butt faded to a nice light pink again. Now we've got the CVS diapers on her again to see if the booty re-reddens. Aren't we mean parents? All in the name of science. Anyway, it looks like it's getting red again. Oh well...Another 40 diapers to add to the donation pile.

So adding to the total: $9.06 for the CVS diapers.

The List Goes On

2010-03-01T20:21:00.005-06:00

I've been wanting to post for 2 days but have been too busy. How can something so small require so much time and attention? Baby Rae is half-sleeping next to me on the couch. Oh no! She's stretching! I have to post fast!!

More shopping:

Photo Mailing Envelopes: $1.05 from the dollar store.

Photofinishing: $1.87 from Walgreens

Diapers: $7.12 from Walmart

Emery Boards (cuz I lost the last ones I bought): $1.05 from the dollar store

Fenugreek (this stuff does seem to help with milk production): $14.62 from GNC.

Mobile #2: $7.00 at thrift shop. We already have one mobile on the crib, and now we'll have one downstairs too under which we can park the bassinet. Check out the cat in the background.

Containers for pacifiers - $3.55 ($3.03 for the glass one from Walmart, and $0.52 for the ceramic one from the thrift shop).

Art for baby's room: $4.24 (thrift shop)

Bottle Warmer: $2.12 (thrift shop)

Baby Wipes: $4.20 at the dollar store

Total: $46.82