Becky, Jared and Sarah
Archive for April, 2010
Breastfeeding
Apr 30th
So, I am planning on breastfeeding my baby. I also plan on working part time (really less than 15 hours a week), so I will want to pump and incorporate bottles into my feeding program. I’ve prepared myself so far for this endeavor by getting nursing covers and looking at reviews for different breast pumps. Needless to say I am still very much a novice in this area.
What I was thinking for pumps was these:
It is a The First Years – miPump Double Breast Pump. I liked it mostly because it was a electric pump under $100. (I can’t believe how much pumps cost). However it only gets 3 stars (out of 5), so some people love it and some people hate it. So, I have mixed feelings, I probably won’t get this one after all, maybe I’m just attracted to the cute bag and low price.
This is a Medela Harmony Manual Breastpump. It gets 4 stars on Target.com and babiesrus.com with hundreds of reviews. It looks like most people generally like it.
So my questions for all those mother’s out there are these…
What products were essential for you for breastfeeding?
If you used a pump, did you like the manual pumps or electric? Is an electric pump worth the price?
If you used a pump, did a certain type or brand work really well for you?
If you used a pump, was a certain type or brand really awful?
Are there any bottles that you especially liked?
Do you have any tips or advice regarding feeding a baby (that you will be willing to post on the internet)?
If you want to give me advice but do not want to post it on this blog you can e-mail me. My e-mail is my first name (no space) last name @gmail.com. (all lower case)
PLEASE COMMENT. Thank you for the advice.
Crib!
Apr 29th
Since we moved into our apartment we have put all our storage stuff and boxes that we needed to go through in Sarah’s room. Over the last few days we finally got most of the storage stuff where it belonged. Then this morning I got the finishing touches of the room done, so I told Jared online that I did a lot in Sarah’s room and he should tell me how amazing it looks when he sees it (I liked to be praised for my hard work). When I got home from work and asked Jared if he had seen how clean Sarah’s room was and as I walk in I see that our crib is fully assembled. I was so excited that I jumped up and down!! I didn’t ask for him to put the crib up today and he didn’t even hint that it was done. I’m so excited. That was one of the big things that needed to be done. I couldn’t believe that it was actually done. Thank you Jared! The crib looks even better than I hoped. The espresso color is just what I was hoping for. (Some of the customer comments said it was too light). It was a wonderful surprise and a good step to be ready for the baby. So, we went to McDonalds for dinner to celebrate (I’m not a big fan of cooking and I love their real fruit smoothies). When we got home I put on the bedding. So, now our baby will has her own crib, it feels like it’s getting closer to baby day (less than 5 weeks).
This picture (above) just shows how excited I was.
Setting up the baby bedding (above)
Baby Bedding and Crib
Baby Crafts
Apr 28th
I have been doing a few more baby crafts right now as the I wait for the baby to come.
Bows
I already posted on the bows I’ve been making. I am still making bows just not as much. I fill like I have significantly increased my ribbon collection so if anyone wants to make bows with me just let me know.
Bow hanger
I made this bow hanger! It is an S for Sarah. Here is how I did it. First, I bought the S. I panted it a sparkly espresso (mostly for the sides). Then I use Mod Podge to put the scrapbooking paper on it. Then I used the Mod Podge to glue ribbon around the edges of the letter. I hot glued the ribbons on for bow attachment. Jared but a back on it so I can hang it up and I was done.
Baby Bracelets
I’ve made a few baby brackets. They were more popular a few years ago but I though I would bring them back into style since they were so cute. I don’t know if I made them the right size or not though. I know the first one I made was way too big because it ended up fitting my wrist. Does anyone know how big a baby’s wrist is? Anyway, here is my other craft.
Diaper Case
I can safely say that I failed this project. I do think that the finished product looks cute but it is not practical. It only fits two newborn diapers. I admit I didn’t really follow the directions so I most likely had more seams which leads to less space. To give credit were credit is due I used the instructions at this web address:
http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/dipecase.html
I do feel if I had actually followed the directions I would have a much better result. I think I will try this one again and maybe leave an extra half an inch just in case and read the instructions.
Diaper wipe case
I made this diaper wipes case. This one is also going to be a redo. I was really trying to make it so that the top thing would work and it does but not that wonderfully anymore. I just thought I would share my first attempt. I got the instructions for this craft at this web address: http://www.make-your-own-baby-stuff.com/baby-wipes.html
So, those are the main baby crafts that I have been working on. If anyone has a good idea for another one that doesn’t require to much skill let me know. Hope you enjoyed my crafts!
Fish Tank
Apr 28th
We got a new fish tank. It is huge! Our fish were getting a little big for our old fish tank so we decided to up grade to a bigger one. Our new fish tank is 37 gallons! Our old one was only 10 gallons so it is almost 4 times a large. We will have to get a few larger decorations to fill the tank now but it will be fun picking them out. It will be nice because now that our tank is larger our fish will have the space to grow and we will have bigger fish. I don’t think there is anything else left to say on this. Hurray for a new fish tank!
iPad
Apr 28th
Jared got a iPad. I thought it deserved a post. Jared loves his iPad. I have to say as a non computer nerd it is pretty cool, so here is my normal, none too special computer person take on it (reminder I’m married to a computer savvy person who influences me with his ideas). I think I like that it has a crazy long battery life. This will come in handy on long road trips. It also has really good resolution so it will be great to watch movies on during those long road trips. Jared loves the e-reader portion of it and has already read a whole book. The e-reader is cool because you can look at a two page view or single page few, change the lighting of the screen to be brighter or less bright, change the font, and change the font size. The games are okay, it’s nice that they are bigger and some have better graphics. I don’t play very many games, so I don’t really worry about it. Also the ipad has a word processor, so Jared can use it to type his notes in class. So, this will be his new school computer. Oh, Jared can type almost as fast on it as a regular computer. I can’t but I haven’t spent that much time trying. Anyway that is my own personal view on Jared’s new ipad, it was a significant investment so I thought it deserved a post.
PS please don’t comment that it’s just a big iPod touch because obviously it isn’t for the reasons stated above and many more and it is a big pet peeve of Jared’s so don’t bother.
