Q&A Part II

We are all fighting a cold this week and it has not been too fun. I feel so bad for my little guy. He's so congested. I wish I could blow his nose for him! I asked my pediatrician for a new prescription yesterday. I am hoping this one dries everything up. I am pretty cautious overprotective about Jackson and sick germs. There is nothing more pitiful than a sick baby (and a tired momma)!

Okay, now for Q&A Part II:
Amber asked - Is Jackson sleeping through the night?
Yes and No. Jackson didn't consistently sleep through the night until he was 6 months. Once we introduced cereal he dropped the 3-4AM nursing. I probably would have started him a cereal a little sooner had I known it would help him sleep so much.

We had been doing so well with Jackson's routine. This cold has really set us back. For the past week Jackson has been waking up twice during the night. The only way to get him to go back to sleep is nursing. I am pretty sure he's nursing for comfort, not starvation. You've seen his rolls:)

Amber also asked about must have baby gear -
I put together two must have lists. One was a recommendations from mommies that I complied. The other was my list after becoming a momma. I wouldn't change a thing on my list! You can find them here and here.

Read more...

Show Us Your Life: Tailgating - Geaux Tigers!

Football has always been an important part of my life, I was even a cheerleader from middle school through college. But, when I moved to Louisiana from St. Louis I had no idea just how important college football would become in my life. If you remember the story of us post, I set the hook with Mr. Wilson when I asked him to be my date for the LSU @ Auburn game back in September of 2004.

Since then we have been to every home game and almost every road trip. This year has been a little different with Jackson, we hope to make a few road games next year. We're lucky that Jackson is such a laid back baby, he has made it to every home game so far this year!

It's Saturday Night in Death Valley!


2004 SEC Championship in ATL


Damn Strong Tailgating Krewe


Our first game as Mr. & Mrs. - 2007


Field Game 2007 (Mr. Wilson is on the Tiger Athletic Founation Board, so we get to go on the field for pregame once a season)


LSU @ Kentucky (Me & my dad)


LSU @ Old Miss


LSU vs. Auburn - 2007


Pig Roast for LSU vs. Arkansas


On set with Coach Miles


LSU @ Auburn - 2008


Jackson's first LSU game - LSU @ Washington


Jackson's first trip to Death Valley, LSU vs. Vanderbilt


The Wilson's - Field Game, LSU vs. ULL


On the field with the Tigers


Jackson dreaming about the Tiger's win, Gggrrr!


Jackson with Mike the Tiger


Future Tiger


Geaux Tigers, Beat the Gators!!!

Read more...

Kelly's Korner - Show us your life: Baby Gear

Kelly's Korner is a great blog to follow for all of you mommy and mommy-to-be's out there. I don't normally participate in her "Show us your life" series, but I will be for the next two weeks. This Friday's topic is Baby Gear and next week is Tailgating! I have two previous posts on the topic of baby gear, please refer back here and here if you are looking for baby gear!

Read more...

New Mommy Must Haves

Before I had Jackson I polled all of my mommy friends about their must haves, please refer back to this post. Now that Jackson is three months old I have quite a list of my own favorite things. I thought this would be useful to my mommy-to-be readers. Please feel free to add your favorite things in the comments.

For the new mommy:
Pads
You'll need more than you think. I didn't anticipate bleeding for so long.

Dermoplast
This helps with the bottom pain for the first couple of weeks.

Breast Feeding:
Hooter Hider
Breast feeding can be very isolating, but with my hider I am able to nurse anywhere and be comfortable.

Lansinoh breast cream
This helps with nipple pain in the beginning from nursing. I used it before and after I nursed in the beginning. I had to use it again when I started to pump, but only for a few days.

Hydrogel Pads
These were great in the beginning as well.

Lillypads
I hate breast pads, but I found that these were the most discrete.

Nursing tank top
I wear a tank almost everyday. Its great to sleep in and wear under your shirt. It also helps hide your loose skin!

Sleep bra

Nursing bra
* I made the mistake of buying my bras before I had the baby and I was a 40D. But,not long after I had the baby I was a 36B-C...so my bras didn't fit. Also, I wouldn't buy a padded bra. When you fold the cup down to nurse it constantly pops up on the baby's face.

Diapering:
Camden Diaper bag

Diaper caddy
This is great for bath time and in the beginning when the baby is in your room. Its also great to keep one at Grandma's house!

Extra diaper pad covers
We go through about two a day, depending on how many times a day Dad changes him. Jackson likes to pee on his Daddy:)

Lansinoh - wipes and diaper rash ointment
Breast feed babies tend to have more acidic poop. I tried the sensitive wipes and they were even worse on Jackson's butt. The Lansinoh wipes are especially for breast fed babies. You can only find these at Target and Babies R Us, they are with the breast feeding accessories.

Pamper Swaddlers work best for us.

Bathing:
Bath tub with sling
I have the bath chair as well, but I find that it is so much easier to bath in the sink.

Hooded towels and wash cloths.
I love these!

We started out using Johnson baby products, but Jackson has sensitive skin and we now use Aveeno products.

Sleeping:
Boppy newborn lounger
We kept this in Jackson's cradle for the first few weeks. He needed to be vibrated all the time so we put the vibration soother in the bottom of it. When he started to fuss, the noise activator would start the vibration. We also used the heartbeat sound on the crib - see baby soother below.

Baby soother

Sleep sheep
We keep this in Jackson's crib. I found that the ocean noise works best.

Infant positioner
We still use this in Jackson's crib.

Other:
Best blanket

Boppy chair
Jackson needs to vibrate!

Bottles - I'm still breast feeding, so Jackson gets three bottles a day. We found that the platex bottles work best for us. I have a crap load of them, but my sitter only uses one bottle a day and washes the nipple in between feedings. If you can, borrow a few different bottles to see what kind/brand works best for you and baby - then buy a few of that one.

Pacifier - we use the hospital pacifier. The lactation nurse told me that whatever the pacifier nipple looked like, my nipple would end up looking the same... so be mindful of that when you are trying out different pacifiers!

ITZBEEN - I almost forgot to add this! I am so lost without it, it is a total must have. It was so hard for me to keep track of feeding times in the beginning and now that I'm back at work its great for the transition between our sitter and us.

Camera - Canon Rebel
A good camera is a must. We didn't have this in the beginning and I totally regret that!

Baby Bliss Gripe Water
I found that this works best for gas, hiccups, fussiness and upset tummy. The others constipated Jackson.

I went with the Chico travel system and am really happy with it. I found it to be the most recommended car seat when I asked all of my mommy friends.

I never used my boppy pillow, but some people love them. Jackson will only nurse in the football position. Try all of the positions and see what works best for you, the cross cradle position didn't work at all for us.

I hope you or someone you know finds this list to be helpful. If you have anything to add, please leave a comment!

Read more...