Beach Baby

Isaac loves the beach, no doubt about it. On Memorial Day, while Uncle Joe was visitng, we made a very daring trip to the beach on the first summer holiday weekend. It was insane. Besides the drunken guy that got beat down by the cops for engaging in a brawl only feet from us, it was a wonderful day. Isaac loved dipping his toes in the warm water, and squeeled with glee as the waves washed around his feet. He also very much enjoyed the taste of a fistful of salty sand, mmmm. Is that not the cutest plumber's crack you've ever laid eyes on?

He was ready, but I wasn't

I have been putting off giving Isaac solids for a while now because I wanted him to have only breastmilk and delay solids as long as possible since he is growing so well on it alone. The pediatrician had also said to definitely wait 6 months, but I wanted to go longer. I had done the research, and many people feel it is best to exclusively breastfeed with nothing else as long as possible during the first year, because solid foods aren't really needed until 1 year old. I planned to watch his cues and wait until he was interested or needed the extra nutrition. He hasn't been the least bit interested in solid foods up to this point. But then tonight at dinner, he was watching us eat longingly and started making chewing motions, which he's never done before. I have been contemplating giving him a bite of something soon just to see how he'd respond, since the doc suggested at his 6 month checkup yesterday to think about starting something soon. So, this morning, I made a big batch of steel-cut oats (which are so good) in the crockpot for our breakfasts this week. I took a bit of that, put it in the blender, mixed in some breastmilk and heated it. Now, we fully expected him to thrust that spoon right out of his mouth, make an awful face, and spit the food out.

He sure surprised us! He knew just exactly what to do with that spoon. By the third bite he was opening his mouth in anticipation and trying to pull the spoon to his mouth. He loved it. I only gave him 7 or 8 bites and he would have taken more. I haven't even researched how to make my own baby food yet, which is what I want to do. I don't even know how much or how often to feed him. I thought I had much more time, but he is obviously ready. I am so proud of him, but a little sad too. My baby is growing up.

So, over the next few weeks, I will be starting him off by giving him little tastes of whatever veggie we happen to be eating that day, mashed up and unseasoned of course (the doc suggested squash, peas, and green beans). We're going to take it slow for sure, but he sure seems excited about it, even if I'm not so much.

Half a Year!!!

6 Months ago today, Isaac unexpectadely entered my world. I remember that day so well, and I've been reflecting all morning. After getting permission to toss the terbutaline pills and pump the day before and being told the 15 painless contractions I was having every hour didn't appear to be doing anything to my cervix, after 2 long months of strict bed rest, I was sure I was in the clear for at least another 3 weeks, idiot that I was. So, what did I do? I slipped up. I started walking around, went to Wal-Mart, met Steve for lunch, ended up in L&D that night, only to be sent home that morning. Within hours, we are back in the hospital and I end up going into active labor, dialating from a 2-10cm, and delivering tiny little 4lb 15oz Isaac Lee all within 3 hours with no meds whatsoever!! Not the way I expected that day to end. It was the scariest day of my life. It was 4 excruciating hours after his birth before we saw him or knew anything at all about how he was doing. But God was watching over him and protecting him all the time.

Now, just 6 months later, he is a whopping 17+ pounds - all breastmilk except for the high-cal formula he got those first few days in the hospital. Breastfeeding was such an incredible struggle in the beginning, and I faced just about every hurdle imaginable. Now we are going strong on 6 months and loving every moment of it, and I am so thankful that God gave me the strength I needed to push through the rough spots. He is able to sit on his own just about, loves to stand, smiles and giggles, and is the sweetest most precious thing in my entire life. He is in my thoughts every minute while I am at work. The last 6 months have gone by like a whirlwind, and he looks so different and has learned so much. But he is still my sweet baby boy.

1 day old

One of the perks of working on an island

After work yesterday, I picked up Isaac and Steve, and we were about to drive home, when we decided to stop by the beach. It was a gorgeous warm sunny day. So, we swung by the beach to let Isaac dip his toes into the water and bury them in the sand for the very first time. He seemed to really like it. He loves being outside and he loves water, so this was right up his alley. Then, afterwards, we stopped by a restaurant and had fresh fish and calamari on a patio over looking the ocean. It seriously felt like we had stepped out of our real lives and were on vacation for a moment.

By the way, his shirt says "Lock up your Daughters"

The last pic is of me nursing him on the seawall - I seriously have no qualms about breastfeeding him anywhere at anytime, modesty has gone out the window for me (I do wear discreet nursing tops or use a cover most times of course).

I'm published!!!

My first published article - http://www.jimmunol.org/cgi/content/full/180/5/3038, not that anyone will find this remotely interesting unless you are researching immune responses following burn injury...

Ok, the honest truth, Tracy, my mentor wrote most of this and did most of the research behind it, but having a student (me) be first author would be beneficial to her credentials, so we both got to benefit from stamping my name on this one. We are submitting another one next month that I am currently writing on as you read this that better warrants my name first.

It's funny, I was just doing some background research online for this current paper and came across an article whose title peaked my interest, as it sounded very similar to what I am writing. I click on the link, and lo and behold, there is my name!! It was my paper! I had completely forgotten that it came out last month.

Now I'm a real scientist!! Woohoo!!

* I am aware that you have to subscribe in order to read the paper, but I absolutely do not expect anyone to read it anyway, as it puts even me to sleep and you'd have to be in the field to be at all interested.

My Newest Obsession

I have just been introduced to the wonderful world of Cloth Diapers (aka, CDs). Now, I know what most of you are thinking, probably the same thing I would have thought a couple weeks ago when hearing reference to cloth diapers. You're picturing those rectangular thin pieces of cloth that your grandmother still uses as dish cloths that you have to pin to your baby using sharp pointy pins that become dangerous instruments when mixed with a squiggly little baby with paper thin skin; also the thought of endless laundry of stinky poopy diapers and leaky thin cloth leading to wet clothes and unhappy baby. Well, cloth diapers have come a looooooong way since then, and are actually as convenient as disposables (aka, sposies) these days. Just check out this site - Cotton Babies. What first led me on my newest quest for cloth? Well, as many of you know, I am a member of an online community of women, all of whom had babies due the same month Isaac was due. We have been friends for about a year now and have shared many great tips, advice, and experiences with each other from pregnancy, to breastfeeding, to raising our little ones. Well, one of my friends on this board recently noticed when she changed her baby's disposable diaper, there were chunks of gel all over her his skin, so she asked if any of the rest of us girls had seen this and knew what it was. Well, many other girls had noticed this too. After some research, we discovered that this gel is actually a high absorbency gel that all sposies have in them that can hold 100 times it's weight in liquid. This is what makes sposies so incredibly absorbent. However, this gel is made from a combination of toxins, one of which, dioxin, is one of the most cancer causing toxins there is. This toxin is actually banned in many countries, but not the US. Here is one of many links listing some of it's dangers - http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=question207.htm&url=http://www.thediaperhyena.com/diaper_drama_scene3_health.htm. I don't want this on my baby, he's already exposed to plenty of things everyday that are harmful (a recent study was published showing that many of the baby bath and lotion products such as Johnson and Johnson contain extremely high levels of carcinogenic toxins, but that's a whole other story), and I know I can't protect him from everything, but this is something he is constantly in contact with. Then, there is the fact that sposies cost us $22 for a 2 week supply, which is outrageous, and that cost will go up a few $'s with each size up he goes until he is potty trained. So, I began my research on CDs, with the help of several friends who only use cloth. I was amazed at what I found. CDs are so much more convenient than they used to be, and almost just as important, they are very fashionable, and are just as cute as can be!! They are many different kinds, and so, of course, I wanted to start out by trying out several different kinds. There are All in Ones (AIOs), which are just like a disposable, they have a thick absorbent layer built right into a cute waterproof cover. There are pockets, which have an absorbent insert (think giant maxi pad) that stuffs into a pocket built into a cute waterproof cover. Many pocket diapers also come in One Size with adjustable snaps so that you won't have to buy different sizes as your baby grows, saving you tons of money. There are fitteds, which are basically a clothe diaper in the shape of a disposable, with snaps or velcro, that you cover with your choice of many adorable waterproof covers. And finally, the cheapest option are prefolds, which are similar to the old fashioned rectangular cloths that have a thick middle layer, and you fold them and hold them together with a snappi (which is a plastic little clip that replaces the old fashioned sharp pins), and then you fashion it with an adorable cover. And you can also use woolies as covers, which are, you guessed it, knitted wool covers! Another whole new window of knitting opportunities!!! Now, many of these diapers are extremely pricey, we're talking as cheap as $1 a piece for prefolds and $12 for their covers up to $35 for a single custom made diaper that can have your babies name embroidered on it along with your favorite team's logo. People have gotten incredibly creative with these things. Many work-at-home moms make and sell customizable diapers from their homes. While the initial investment may be high, these diapers never have to be replaced, can be used over and over, sometimes will fit your baby from infant through potty training (if they are one sized), can be used on future children, and then there are thousands of diaper swapper communities online where you can sell your clean, gently used diapers and cover. I have begun my journey by trying out some of these gently used diapers as well as some brand spankin’ new ones. As for the extra laundry, I find I spend maybe 15 minutes extra a week on diaper laundry - you just have to toss them in, turn on the washer, add in a tiny bit of dish soap, and dry them. You never even have to touch them if you put them in a washable laundry bag - just dump them and bag all into wash. And with breastfed poop (sorry if this sounds gross), it is completely water soluble and the washing machine will just wash it away (once he starts eating solids, it may be more beneficial to dump in the toilet first, but we aren't there yet). Also, many of the new CDs out there have fleece linings which wicks away the moisture from babies skin and significantly reduces the incidence of diaper rashes when compared to sposies. But to top it all off, oh my goodness, these things are so much fun to buy!! There are soooo many cute ones out there (just google bum genius, fuzzy bunz, kissaluvs, to see a few). I have begun dipping into my yarn budget for these, they are seriously as much fun as yarn!

Here are some pics of Mr. Isaac's fluffy butt sporting his new CDs (some of the covers are a bit big and bulky, but are still perfectly functional and he will grow into them, and they should fit him up to potty training). I've found the pocket diapers to be the most convenient, once you stuff the insert in the pocket (takes a couple seconds), it goes on just like a disposable in one step. We have some of the bum genius one size pocket diapers, pictured above, coming in today or tomorrow - I'm soooo excited!! I never in a million years thought I'd be a clothe diapering mommy.

Here he is wearing a fitted with clouds before the cover was put on

Here he is wearing a prefold held with a snappi before the cover was put on

Here is is wearing a cute cover with jungle animals over a fitted or prefold

Here is wearing my fave, a cover with froggies over prefold

Here he's wearing a Swaddlebees pocket diaper, looking very pleased

Here, he's wearing another Swaddlebees pocket

Woh, we're twins!

Check this out. This is me the day I was born versus Isaac last Saturday at 4 months old. I was as big, if not bigger, the day I was born as my 4 month old son!