Change

 I decided it was time for some pampering.
I really needed a change.
After having Zacharey my hair started its shedding process.. with a vengeance. It was too long and lanky and looked like shit. So I  had it cut. All of it.

before

before

Although about two inches shorter than I was expecting. Not too shabby. I don't hate it but am unsure if I like it.

Now I need to work on losing about 30 lbs of baby weight that seems to be lingering... mmm muffin tops are sexy ;)

Double Birth Weight

Zacharey had his 6 month well baby check up on Monday. Naturally Adam had to work so I was on my own to face the scale. Overall, his weight gain was good, his growth was good and he is exceeding all milestones.
At 6 months old, Zacharey is 15lbs 5oz which is up 1lb 1.5 oz from his last weight check. His doctor was pleased with his gain but was concerned that he had not doubled his birth weigh. I made a point to ask if we should really be going on birth weight and not his lowest weight since he had lost way more than he should have. She said that it usually doesn't matter and that regardless of breast or bottle, babies double their birth weight at 6 months and triple at 1 year.

She then brought up both Alex's and Nathaniel's growth charts. Which I find completely irrelevant as Alex was formula fed and has a different father sperm donor. Nathaniel was only EBF for one month (one of my biggest regrets) and then had a mix of formula and breast milk until 4 months. Both boys were given solids early. This did not seem to matter to the doctor. 
She was also concerned about us not giving Zacharey rice cereal. Not so much about him not getting the cereal, but about him not getting the iron from it. When I told her that we are doing Baby Led Weaning and that Dr. Jack Newman advises not to give rice cereal as it is void in nutrients. She then told me I am competent enough to just google foods that are high in iron. I am not concerned about his vitamin intake. He is getting all that he needs from me and besides, food before one is just for fun!

I was messing around with numbers as Zacharey is 'supposed to' triple his birth weight by one year. Which would mean he needs to be 25lbs 14 oz. He will need to gain 10lbs 9oz in 6 months. At this point it seems impossible. We were given the okay not to come again for a weight check until his 9 month well baby. I am uncomfortable with not going monthly, so I requested another appointment for his 7th month. Unfortunately, we were not able to schedule an appointment until he is almost 7.5 months.

At his appointment I also addressed my issues with the nurse we had been seeing. Our doctor seemed surprised about the constant push for formula and complete disregard for weigh gain and her rude comments. I told the doctor that I am more than willing to come in whenever needed but I am outright refusing to see that nurse again. I also told her that if it were necessary for me to supplement Zacharey's feedings that I would rather do so with pumped milk and not formula. She told me that they always encourage pumped milk whenever possible. Clearly someone needs to inform the crackhead nurse of this.

Zacharey 6 months
15lbs 5oz
27.6 inches long
16.9 inch head

Cloth Diapering

I have been asked to do a review on the cloth diapers I have.

Currently, I have 38 diapers, and 5 covers. 
12 Bummis newborn prefolds
2 Sandy's newborn (cotton)
4 Comfy Rumps
10 Kawaii (4 Velcro, 2 bamboo minky, 1 minky, 3 snappies)
4 Tots Bots hook and loop (two originals and two new)
2 Bamboozles (size one and size 2)
4 Sandy's bamboo size small
2 Bummis Super Lite covers (small)
1 Bummis Super Whisper Wrap (small)
2 Bummis Super Bright newborn covers

For newborn diapering, I was really impressed with the ease or the newborn prefolds and covers. They fit Zacharey right away and we only ever had explosions and leaks when he had outgrown them. He has never had a disposable diaper touch his skin which is really nice. We used a mix of the prefolds and the Sandy's newborn (XS). For the prefolds, I used the Super Bright Newborn covers and for the newborn Sandy's I used the Super Lite covers. I would defiantly use them again.
The downside of cloth diapering a newborn is in order to have the diapers fit properly, you have to buy them small. Unfortunately they only fit for a very small amount of time. We got about a month out of the newborn prefolds and about two months out of the newborn Sandy's. The Sandy's physically fit Zacharey longer but he is a heavy wetter so he would soak them easily. I am curious if it was a matter of outgrowing it weight wise or if a simple change of material (bamboo instead of cotton) would make a difference. If and when we are ready for another baby. I think I will try out the bamboo Sandy's and see.
I  used  the Bamboozles (size 1) once Zacharey was about a month old. They fit fine and we never had any leaks but they were BULKY! Size 2 fit him from about 2 months old. Now at 6 months, Zacharey can wear the Size one still but it is getting snug. We have not had any leaks as of yet.
I also used the Tots Bots (old style) on him since birth. They were not the greatest fit but we never had any issues and I really like the ease of use.

For infant cloth diapering, we have used a mix of the above list, minus the newborn sizes.

Bummis Newborn prefolds and covers
Pros
- Easy to use (even Dad's can do it!)
- Fits really small babies and even not so small ones
- Quick dry
- Surprisingly absorbent
- Covers are Velcro like a disposable and stay done up
Cons
- You have to fold them
- They are outgrown quickly
- You have to touch a pee pee/poo poo soaked diaper to change
- Needs cover

Sandy's XS Newborn
Pros
-VERY easy to use
- Very absorbent
- Snaps along the sides
- Looks comfortable/ soft
- Loads of cute covers to wear over
Cons
- Outgrown quickly
- You have to touch a dirty diaper to remove/change
- Requires a cover


Comfy RumpsThere are two pros to these diapers. They have really cute prints and they are cheap. Please note that I use the word cheap and not inexpensive. These diapers fit HUGE and they leak. They have always leaked (for us). I really really dislike these diapers. They are all snappies (I prefer Velcro tabs). I am sure plenty of people can use these diapers and have zero issues with them. However, for us, they cause nothing but a sore bum and wet clothing.

Kawaii
I am not a fan of Kawaii diapers ether. They fit on the larger side and they are not great quality. Several of our Velcro tabs have started to lift off  (started happening after 2 months of use). The snappies seem a bit off on all of ours, I am not sure if this is the case with all or just ours. The prints are super cute which is nice, however we have always had leaking issues with these too. The only two that seem to be okay for us is the minky bamboo ones if we double stuff them. All the otehrs cause a bad slapped look raised red marks on Zacharey's bum and boy bits.

Bamboozles
Pros
- Come sized
- Loads of cute covers
- Holds A LOT
- Contains messes
- Size 2 will last for your entire diapering adventure (9-35lbs)
Cons
- Sized
- Needs a cover
- Expensive (at first investment)
- Bulky
- You have to touch a dirty diaper to remove
If I were to go back and have the information I know now, I would have skipped buying the size 1. I would have gotten only the size 2. Although the size one still fits, it is on its way out. To me this seems a bit wasteful as they are an investment. This being said, with Zacharey being so long and skinny, he would not have been able to wear the size 2 from day one.

Sandy's Bamboo
Pros
- Super absorbent (great for night time)
- Loads of super cute covers
- Soft
- Great fit (even for skinny babies)
- Snaps along the side
Cons
- Bulky
- Sized ( XS, S, L, XL)
- Needs a cover
- Have to touch a dirty diaper to remove for changing
I really really LOVE our Sandy's. They are an excellent price and are super easy to use. I wish that they were a one size though, as it is hard to rationalize (for us) spending on a diaper that we know we will have to replace. I really like that there are a lot of cute covers that go over this diaper. These are excellent night time diapers.

Tots Bots
Pros
-Trim
- One sized (great investment)
- Super absorbent
- No fishing for inserts as it is attached
- Comes in both hook and loop (Velcro) or snappies
Cons
-Expensive
- They changed their linings form bamboo to minky. I have not noticed a change of absorbency, but I do prefer the older style better.
- Not a variety of prints. I would love if there was a cow print, spider man, zebra etc option.

Bummis Super Lite covers
I find these covers fit small. Other than the small fit, I really like these. I do wish that they came in patterns instead of solid colours.

Bummis Super Whisper Wrap
Even though these have the same weight range as the Super Lite covers, I find these much bigger. The patterns they come in are super cute, even though they have more girl patterns than boy patterns.

Bummis Super Bright newborn covers
These are super cute and are similar to the Whisper Wrap in style. I do find that they are a little girly in patterning and colours. These also come in the regular sized (newborn, S, M and L)

As I have to replace over half my stash for a few reasons, (rashes, leaking, pure hatred), I am going to be replacing with more Bamboozles (size 2), more Sandy's (probably L) and Tots Bots. I am glad I bought an assortment of diapers to try and find ones that work best for Zacharey and work best for us (ease of use was VERY important). As for covers, we will be buying more Whisper Wraps and I like their patterns and fit.

I try to buy my diapers locally at http://go-greenbaby.ca/. Shopping locally helps our economy as well as the super-fantastic store owner. It is also nice to be able to ask questions and get a face to face answer. 

Half a Year... Already?!

Today is Zacharey's 1/2 birthday.
Today marks 6 months of exclusive breast feeding.
 Today marks the first time he has anything other than breast milk in his mouth. No medicine, no vitamin drops, no formula. Nothing but breast milk.
It made me very sad, more sad than it should have to feed him 'real' food. Avocado. I realize I am being a total head case, but we have worked so hard to reach 6 months of exclusive breast feeding. It has not been easy, it still isn't easy. His latch still sucks. It hurts, a lot! I often have white nipples when he is done feeding (yes, I realize that is total TMI).

His first taste of food was funny to watch. We have decided that Baby Led Weaning works best for our family, so I  halved an avocado, and cut it into good sized chunks and let him go.
He had no idea what to do with it. He would pick it up, put it down, pick it up again and squish it. Not once bringing it to his mouth. Which is odd as EVERYTHING goes in his mouth. I ended up picking up a piece and eating it to show him.
I wouldn't say he enjoyed this process, but I wouldn't say he hated it ether. It was just very new to him and nothing like a boob!

6 months old
Unknown weight

Zacharey has met a lot of milestones this month. He can now fully sit up on his own, he can get up onto his knees and he can pivot and move around the floor (ether by scooting or rolling). I think he will be crawling very soon. He has also discovered that he can splash when in the bath sink.
He is still super serious, will smile a lot but not laugh too often. You really have to work for him to laugh.

He has his 6 month weigh in on Monday. I am already anxious (have been for days). I know he will not be double his birth weight. Although, doesn't the birth weight being on the heavy side account for anything? Double his birth weight would be 17lbs 4oz. Would that not be a HUGE 6 month old?! Even doubling his lowest weight of 7lbs 14oz would put him at 15lbs 8oz. Which is a little easier to achieve. I am hopeful that he has put on at least a pound. He looks bigger and feels heavier. Although I have thought the same thing in the past and it turned out he has gained next to nothing. *sigh*


Happy 6 months Zacharey <3

The Speech Continues!

Anyone who knows me, knows that it is no secret that Nathaniel has had some serious speech issues (and serious speech issues is a total understatement). Now granted, now knowing that he wasn't/isn't hearing properly did not help. Two sets of tubes, an adnoidectomy, several hearing tests,  and almost three years of speech therapy later- HE HAS CAUGHT UP!
Words that I'd never thought I would hear from the pathologist's mouth. There are a few minor corrections still needed, his lisp and his confusion of word sequencing. All minor in comparison.
Going back through old videos, I have really come to realize just how bad his speech was. I knew it was bad, I knew he had serious issues. I just didn't realize it was that bad.
His pathologist finished his assessment on Tuesday and will be keeping him in the Early Expressions system until she is forced to discharge him as he will age out of the program. He will be thrown into the Limestone District School Board's system but, like most things, is totally over booked and he will more than likely be forgotten about.
I am so happy that all the hard work he has done, we have done has finally paid off.

:)

Photo Credit: Kimberly Wood

A Year In Review

 I feel like I should do a year in review.
The good, the bad and the ugly.

Yesterday was my birthday.
Adam bought me breakfast and coffee at Tim's. And a donut that he put a candle in. A number five candle. It works right? haha
We got a sitter and left all three boys with her. Clearly she is super brave. It was really hard leaving Zacharey. I was bawling by the time I made it to the van. I obviously knew he would be okay, and I had more than enough pumped milk for him if he was hungry. It was just hard.
Adam scored some free movie tickets at work so we went to see This Is 40. Hilarious. We spent 98% of the move laughing our asses off.

In the past year, 25 to 26 were quite eventful. (so not in chronological order)
I met two of the most amazing women (my midwives)
I reconnected with some old friends and established strong relationships
I drank a lot of coffee
Alex was assessed for Autism after being on the waiting list for YEARS
We bought a van (in case you were curious, buying a van the month before you are due to have a baby is a bad idea. It is also stupidly stressful)
I was thrown a beautiful baby shower
We had a baby
Nathaniel started Kindergarten
Zacharey has had loads of weight gain successes and not so great gains
Zacharey had his tongue tie partially clipped (I am sooo so so so sooooo sorry!!)
I drank a lot more coffee
I discovered I can comfortably live off of 4 hours of sleep
I have a love hate relationship with breast feeding- but am 5 months in and there is no end in sight!!
I said some things I can't take back
I have texted some things I can't take back
I need to learn how to swallow my pride and let go of things
We lost Adam's mother and miss her dearly
I got the opportunity to meet several of Adam's family members, some I thought I would never meet.
I discovered drinking coffee with a neighbour at 11 at night is really fun, way more fun than sitting up alone with a very awake baby. Plus he would usually conk out on the walk home.

I need to learn how to not sweat the small stuff, and that no matter how hard I try, I can't plan for everything.


Until next time!

What is "Good Enough" ??

Zacharey had his 5 month weigh in today. I had a really hard time sleeping last night, and not because he was up every two to three hours eating. I really hate weigh ins. Almost as much as I hate the nurse who we have had twice now.

Adam had to work today so I had to bus down to the doctor's office. I was about thirty minutes early, so I did a few errands- went to the bank and got a new bank card and change to get home, went to Terra's and picked up some more Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle and stopped into Starbucks to get a coffee I knew I couldn't technically afford. The coffee was totally worth it for the record.

We walked back up to the doctor's office, I gave our information to the receptionist and we waited. There was another little boy baby in the office, a few months younger than Zacharey but twice the size. I really tried to not let it bother me, but who am I fooling? Naturally Zacharey started to get hungry and I figured as it was already fifteen minutes past our appointment time, we probably still had a while to wait. As soon as I started to feed him, we got called in. I probably should have fed him sooner, he could have used the extra numbers.

Anyways, we get called in and before she has a chance to say anything I requested that she use the scale that he is normally weighed on, not the one he was weighed on last time. She gave me a look, so I made a point to tell her that a change of scale really makes a difference. I am 98% sure she rolled her eyes at me, but I was too busy trying to keep Zacharey from rolling off the table as I undressed him to really notice.

He is much too long for the scale now, but too small to use a 'real' scale- I am not sure how the next few months are going to play out. At 5 months old, Zacharey weighs 6.51 kg- 14 lbs 3.5 oz. Which puts him up  1 lb 1.5 oz from last month. She said she was concerned that it wasn't enough of a gain and asked if I had started him on formula yet. I flat out told her that formula is NOT an option and I would rather used pumped milk if it is really necessary that I supplement. She insisted that formula "isn't that bad" and that she would really like to see him "gain better." I told her that if anything feeding him formula would cause me to have supply issues as it would mean that he would be fuller longer and not want to breast feed as often. The nurse then told me that it "would not cause any supply issues at all and a little bit of formula wouldn't hurt him. That it would help him sleep better at night."
I am not concerned with him sleeping at night, or not sleeping. He is five months old he isn't supposed to sleep all night. In fact, frequent night waking greatly decreases his chances of SIDS.

As much as I would love Zacharey to gain weight, to be come a complete chunk, I just don't think it will happen. I told the nurse that I really am not anti formula. That formula defiantly has its place. I just don't think it is best for him. I don't have supply issues, he is settled and happy after feeds. He is thriving! If he wasn't thriving and wasn't gaining or losing weight I would consider it. I really would. Zacharey IS gaining, he is just gaining slowly.

She then went on to tell me that she is really all for breastfeeding (just not for me apparnelty).
I made a point to tell her that not every baby is meant to be in the eightieth percential as we were walking out the door. I was hopeful that I would get the last word but no, she called out after us that although that may be true, and she does prefer leaner babies, she would just rather them to have a bit of fat on their bones.

Zacharey 5 months- 14lbs 3.5oz <3

I really want to call the doctor's office and ask how much of a gain will be good enough for them. When will my boy be good enough for them?