Hayden is 4 months old :)

Hayden {4 months}

Cannot believe how fast my little man is growing!

Age: 4 months

Height: 24 3/4 inches

Weight: 14 lbs 13 oz

Milestones: Hayden has rolled over from his back to his stomach. He is also starting to laugh and talk more. It's the cutest thing.

Sleep: He is sleeping better. He usually goes to bed between 8:00-8:30 wakes around 4 or 5am for a bottle then goes back to sleep till about 7:30am. He is still sleeping in our room, I'm looking forward to finishing up his nursery and moving him to his new room!

Best Moment: His smiles! He was so crabby for the first 3 months, and now his personality has changed so much. He smiles all the time!
Worst Moment:Shots at his 4 month checkup. Hayden likes to hold his breath when he gets mad. After his first shot he screamed then held his breath and turned purple. So scary.

Health: He is growing great, definitely eating a ton and catching up!

Eating: Hayden eats 4-5oz of Gerber Good Start Gentle and has been eating veggies for lunch and dinner. Once I'm finished introducing the veggies I plan to start giving him some fruit with his cereal for breakfast. Currently he hates eating plain cereal, so we are holding off on that until we get him going on fruits.

Teeth: No teeth. He gnaws on everything though! And his hands are constantly in his mouth. So maybe a tooth in his near future?

Tips for saving

This past year was very difficult on us financially. Me being in the hospital followed by bed rest and then maternity leave, kept me away from work for over 4 months. My husband also took a lot of time off from work during this time. Luckily, we had plenty in our savings. I cannot stress how important it is to save, save, save. You never know when something might pop up! I know many people who live paycheck to paycheck, and it's just not a good thing. What if you or your spouse got sick, lost your job, had to fix your car..etc.? I could go on and on. Save save save!!!!

I've found the easiest way to do this is to have an amount from your paycheck be automatically placed into your saving each week. By doing this, you don't have to even think about it. And it does not take long for the money to build up.

Other tips include:

• Using less electricity. Turn off lights, unplug items when not in use. 
• Turn your heat down a degree or two in the winter and turn it up a degree or two in the summer.
• Clip coupons. (I'm not a crazy coupon person, but I do check target.com, coupons.com and the krazycouponlady.com each week to see if there are any coupons that can be used.) I can usually save between $10-$15 each shopping trip!
• Just use less in general! This includes: dish soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothpaste. Don't be wasteful. It does add up!
• I switched from using my swiffer wet jet to a steam mop. I save money, and it's better for the environment.
• I've started to make my own household cleaners. Pinterest has many good recipes for these! My favorite is the dawn dishsoap/vinegar bath cleaner. It works like a charm. Love my vinegar!
• Eat at home! I make a meal plan for Monday-Friday. I go grocery shopping on Sunday and use my list. I don't buy anything that is not on THE LIST :). Also, eat before you go. Or you will  buy a box of poptarts that you really don't need.
• Buy in bulk. When meat or any other item for that matter, is on sale I stock up and FREEZE IT!
• I use AmazonMom for buying formula and diapers. It's cheaper than the store and you can't beat free shipping. I get a shipment each month. I don't have to worry about running to the store for diapers or formula. I LOVE IT! The post office lady thinks I'm crazy, but it's such a great deal, I can't pass it up!
• Breastfeed if you can. It's the best for your baby and can save you up to $1800! Long story short, Hayden refused to nurse. And pumping didn't work out. I will be better prepared for the next baby!

Looking back on 2012

2012 was probably the most life changing year of my life. I can say it was one of the best years and one of the most difficult years all rolled into one. I became a mommy, and I also learned some hard life lessons. But 2012 has made me a better person. I'm very thankful for that, and very excited to see what's in store for us this year!

Here is a little recap of 2012

January: I was in the midst of my first trimester of pregnancy. Very tired, very nauseous, and very moody. I started my second semester of nursing school, and was busy working.

February: In February we heard Hayden's heartbeat for the first time. AMAZING. I had been on pins and needles during the pregnancy because of the fear of miscarriage, but when I heard his little heart beating away, I knew everything was going to be ok :)

March: In March my hubby turned the BIG 35. haha. We enjoyed that. I ended up working St. Patty's day, but I really couldn't celebrate anyways. At the end of March we had our 20 week ultrasound, and found out that we we're having a BOY! I was secretly hoping for a boy, so I was more than delighted!!!!

April: So in April we went on our babymoon! We flew to Destin, Florida for a long weekend. We enjoyed the beach, eating at yummy restaurants, and my personal favorite...shopping.

May: In May we celebrated my father's, father-in-law's, and sister's birthday! Phew, lots of Birthday CAKE and family time. We were also in the midst of painting the nursery and getting the furniture set up.

June: June was quite the month. Started off well! Passed my glucose test! I was pretty darn happy about that. But lost a good high school friend who was fighting overseas in Afghanistan soon after. Extremely difficult, and I never realized how deeply it would effect me. RIP BJ. I love you my friend, and I am forever grateful for your service to this country. Furthermore, I was feeling very sick, right after I heard of BJ's passing. Thought it was nerves, but after going to work on Tuesday evening, I began spotting. Turns out I was in labor. From June 18th on I got to spend my time in the hospital. But I was able to keep baby boy inside for a little longer...

July: Spent part of my July in the hospital, but was released on July 7th. An exciting day! Was so happy to go home and see my puppy, Layla. The rest of July was spent on bedrest: eating, napping, and doing online shopping.

August: WOHOOO. Where do I begin....hmmm August 2nd Our little boy Hayden arrived into this world. Such an amazing blessing. He has strengthened our family, and has made me a better person. Every day I love him more. That being said, his birth was rough, and the recovery was evening more difficult. We also celebrated my sister's wedding on August 25th. Somehow I was able to squeeze into my bridesmaid dress. I'd love to burn those pics. I'm huge. 

September: This was a pretty chill month...I was on maternity leave, so most of my time was spent at home with my little guy. We did our best to settle into a routine, and tried to get used to the new world of being a parent. 

October: We celebrated Hayden's first big holiday! Halloween is my favorite! Hayden was Elvis. He looked so cute! Unfortunately it was too cold for him to be in our town's Halloween parade, but we did make the rounds to the grandparents house.

November: On the first I celebrated the big 26. I am officially over halfway through my twenties. Kind of weird. But I know the best is yet to come! On the 3rd, I went back to work. Scary, but so good for me. Happy to be back into my routine, and I LOVE being a nurse. The most rewarding job ever.

December: Busy month! Holiday overload! We enjoyed spending time with our families and just relaxing. Hayden loved playing with all of his cousins during Christmas. He had no clue what was going on, but he loved every minute of it.

Hayden's crib. I will do a nursery post soon!

Hayden Thomas with his grandpa Tom

Hayden Thomas

Hayden with his cousins on Christmas morning

My sister Eliza and I before her wedding. August 2012

Layla Grayce

Here's to 2013! I have so many things I want to accomplish this year!

My little monster

Anyone else have issues with nap time? I put Hayden down and he seriously screams and screams. At bedtime he's fine, just lays there and falls asleep. His morning naps are particularly dreadful. Either I put him down and he's not tired enough or he's too tired. Seems I cannot find a happy medium.

We've been using the nap nanny for now. He had been sleeping great at night (8-9 hours) would wake for a bottle, and then sleep another 3 hours. It was AMAZING for this sleep deprived momma, I felt like I could actually function at a normal level. But I think he has a cold, so maybe that's the reason he has been waking up a few times at night. The kid seriously eats like a champ during the day, so I'm surprised that he wakes up acting like he's starving.

Oh well, hopefully tonight will be better :)

The Dreaded Colic

Growing up my mom would always tell me that I was a terrible baby and so colicky. She said I would scream and scream, to the point where I would turn blue in the face. She said at times she thought she was going to lose her mind.

So when my baby Hayden was a few days old, I started researching "colic." I had heard of it a lot (thanks Mom) but I had never really known what it was. What I learned was that it was fussiness, screaming etc that would last 3 hours a day, at least 3 days a week, and usually started at 3 weeks and peaked at around 6 weeks, I thought hmmm is Hayden going to get it or not. At 3 weeks Hayden got it. And I lost my mind. There is nothing worse in this world than seeing your newborn scream in pain, and not knowing how to comfort him. I would make sure he was fed, diaper changed, warm, but not too warm. I checked everything, and yet my child would still scream. I would call the pediatrician a few times a week....the nurses would reassure me that everything was ok, but my child was hurting. I took him in one day. The doctor looked him over, and said, "he is perfectly healthy." I was so thankful for the reassurance, but still said that my baby boy seemed so upset. I read countless articles and books. And this is what I've learned:

1. It's not your fault. Babies get colic, formula fed babies, breast fed babies, small babies and big babies. It happens and it's not your fault.

2. Warm baths at bedtime, followed by being swaddled and placed in his swing, really really helped Hayden.

3. Sometimes you just gotta switch formulas. I started on Similac Advance when my milk supply was low. This constipated my baby so bad! Finally we switched to Gerber Good Start Gentle. I swear by this formula! If you can't breastfeed, try this. It is easily digested, mixes well, and doesn't stink. Hayden loves it.

4. Ask for help. Sometimes you just need a break. It does not mean you're a bad parent. If my parents or in-laws offer to watch Hayden, I jump on it. Time away is good for both mom and baby. It makes you realize just how amazing your baby is :)

5. It could be acid reflux. Hayden was started on acid reflux medication when he was 2 months old. It made a huge difference. Sometimes it would be a struggle to feed him, but after being started on this he would take his bottle, eat more, and sleep longer.

6. Know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Time flies when you have a baby. They grow so fast and even though you might be ready to pull your hair out, in a few months it will all be a blur. Take comfort in that. And smiles, when your baby smiles there is no better feeling.

My personal recommendations: Swaddle your newborn (aden and anais makes the best blankets, pricey but well worth it), use a swing (we loved our fisher price swing, oh and get one that plugs in!!!!) Use the nap nanny instead of the bassinet. It helps with colic and acid reflux. Also, read the book The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. It's a must read!

     

            

Pics

Here are few recent photos of Hayden. He refused to wear clothes for his 3month pics hence nakey baby. Enjoy!

The Mommy Life...

Today's Saturday...and usually I would be pretty excited. All week long I'm a stay at home mom. I spend Monday thru Friday changing diapers, feeding, and playing with my little boy. It's great fun, and I am so grateful that I get the opportunity to stay home with him...but it's also exhausting. Between caring for Hayden, cleaning, and preparing meals...I'm ready for the weekend!

Saturday is the day when I go to work. Looking back, I probably never would of thought that Saturdays at work would bring such great excitement! But it gives me time away...time to meet new people...care for my patients...chat with my coworkers...and make money too! The time away at work, makes me appreciate the time I do spend at home.

But this Saturday I'm stuck at home :(. My husband is sick, and I think my little man is getting sick too. Ever since his shots on Tuesday he has been running a fever. Now he has a stuffy nose and cough. I don't know if it's just a cold or if he is teething. Either way, he's tired and crabby, and momma is too. But what's worse than having a sick baby???? A sick husband. My goodness. He has an upper respiratory infection....but you'd think he has the plague. My GOD.

So this Saturday, instead of getting out and working, I'm at home disinfecting every inch of this house. Mark is detained on the couch with his kleenex and bottle of purell, and has strict orders not to touch or breathe on Hayden.