Growing Like A Weed

Every day 'itty bitty' is growing and changing. It is pretty amazing and I love to watch his progress!

We still have our hard days (yesterday I got to experience explosive poop) but for the most part things are getting much easier. His eating schedule is becoming pretty routine. He usually eats every three hours and his accuracy is pretty remarkable. He is sleeping for much longer periods throughout the night. Now I get a full five hours straight for the most part. My body is slowly getting used to the lack of sleep. I guess I should have known it would take awhile to get used to considering I never had a class before 11AM in college and  my last job allowed me to make my own schedule (which consisted of sleeping in and staying up late.) 

Pumping is getting easier and more efficient. I have the Medela Pump in Style Advanced and I really like it! It works great. Word of advice for expecting moms, if you get this pump make sure you get extra collars and nipples. The set comes with several bottles but not enough collars and nipples for them all. Also, if you do get this pump, register for Medela bottles. They fit perfectly on the pump and it is a pain to have to transfer pumped milk into other bottles. I registered for and received a ton of Tommee Tippee bottles. I really like them but I can't connect them to the pump. So I would probably prefer to have all Medela bottles because it just makes life easier.

Harper ended up getting a little bit of my sickness. Poor thing had a pretty stuffy nose and a sad little cough. I felt so bad. He had a hard time breast-feeding because he could not breathe through his nose and he would get very frustrated when he tried to eat. I found a wonderful aspirator that really helped him feel better. It was called "Little Noses" and I loved it because it was made specifically for infants. I got the aspirator and saline combo which was great. The aspirator is nice and small and the tip is soft and angled so it made it easier to use on Harper. Then a few days ago I discovered the Little Noses sterile saline nasal mist and that worked even better than the drops. It fit perfectly into his nose so you could spray it without getting it on his face. I recommend expecting moms to have these products on hand before the baby even gets here. They were lifesavers and I felt so bad when he was so upset because he couldn't breathe. Poor thing sounded like our pug!!  

Being a mother is truly rewarding. I am so thankful for this sweet baby boy!! I can't wait to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with him. Do any of you mothers have suggestions for good gift ideas for the little guy? He will be a little over 3 months by Christmas time. I want to get him things that he can use. I was thinking a bouncy seat. Do you know of any good ones? And I would love you all to share any good Etsy stores that sell cute baby boy stuff!! 

And for you Upstate, SC folks, DEAL OF THE DAY!!! You can get $30 to spend at Stossner's Bakery for only $15!! 50% off, you really can't beat it! Check out the deal HERE!! Strossner's Bakery & Florist has been a tradition in Greenville, SC and the upstate area for over 60 years. While we were in China for Survivor, you start getting all sorts of crazy cravings when you are literally starving. And all Erik could talk about was Strossner's Pumpkin pound cake. Strossner's famous - moist pumpkin spice pound cake has a crunchy baked on praline topping (butter,brown sugar, pecans,coconut). It is only available September through December. You need to try this stuff, it will change your life! haha And Strossner's serves Afternoon Tea in the Patio Room from Monday through Thursday from 3 - 5 pm. You will enjoy pastries, cookies, petits fours & your choice of tea for only $10 per person!! Erik and I went for afternoon tea when we were in London and it was so much fun! What a wonderful tradition!