Balancing Act

My boyfriend has been doing a great job as a new dad. he's been working 8 hours a day, and sleeping less at night now that he is back on his regular work shift. He even takes Zavier for me quite a bit when he gets home so that I can rest a bit. It's nice to have his help.

He is also still participating in his former extracurricular activities- trips to concerts and Vegas, baseball games, outings with friends, etc. This is a luxury that dads have, not feeling or even needing to have that "maternal pulling/requirement" to be with baby pretty much all of the time. He does assert that I, too, can still participate in my recreational activities when he is not working, but for some reason it just doesn't seem right. I feel guilty leaving my little guy for an extended amount of time. I feel bad asking for help. I am a mom now. Yet, I am also still a woman, a human being. And I have people in my life that really WANT to help. So I should really relinquish some of the control and maladaptive feelings that I have about living a balanced life as a mom. After all, the gym, nail salon and happy hour bar are all calling. ;-)

Little things that bring big smiles

It seems that Gerber does not really offer many samples for their formula in the way that Enfamil and Similac do. Thus, I have begun seeking ways to get the biggest bang for my buck when buying the product. So far it seems that Babies r Us offers the best price: (2) 23 oz. tubs for $40.99. I will be using Ebates to purchase raise.com gift cards and then purchasing the formula online through Ebates's Babies r Us site. That will get us a 2% discount at least on top of the $2-$5 discount over other stores.

Zavier has also grown out of his newborn diapers. Thankfully, his cousin brought over some diapers that were too small for another of his relatives. Perfect timing! The size 1 & 2 diapers were mostly Huggies- our least favorite in quality- but we will receive them and put them on our boy during the day. There were also some Luvs and another un-named brand, those of which Zavier is wearing now and doing just fine in.

Lastly, we've been taking inventory of the things that we are not using in the nursery and returning them accordingly. Most recently was a changing pad (we do not have a changing table) and now some diapers. I've had to research online to find out which stores sell the items as most did not come with gift receipts, which has been successful. Tomorrow I plan on Zavier and I heading out to run our errands and make our returns. :-)

Love with Ease

Me and my boys had a ton of help this weekend. Between my friend going to appointments with me on Thursday and staying until Friday, to my bro & sis-in-law and their four children, Zavier surely received tons of love and attention! I am so thankful to have people that love all of us in our lives. It really makes this process a lot easier. :-)

Minor Changes, Major Results

Yesterday marked 4 Mondays since Zavier arrived on this earth! He is getting big so fast, and though I am finding it challenging at times, I am finding that I love that "Little Him" more than life itself, being willing to do anything for him. :-) He also had is one month checkup appointment at the doctor yesterday, weighing a whopping 10 pounds! He is doing well too, though the doctor did recommend that we change to Gerber Good Start's formula, being that Zavier isn't sleeping well after feedings and seems very gassy on the Enfamil. We started him on it yesterday, and so far there is a very noticeable difference. Thus, back to the drawing board on finding coupons for [the new] formula.

I have been feeling frustrated at times though, but my boyfriend, the realist, keeps me grounded, reminding me that I need to just stay calm. I feel like that's easy for him to say sometimes- he gets to "escape" to work everyday- but he will now have Zavier at nights with me, even having to get up for work at 5 each morning. Yes, we are going to have to get this little boy acclimated to a schedule quickly, and have been reading that around 6 weeks of age is a great time start with a bedtime routine. Be it as I am re-acclimating him to this schedule with the new formula, I will probably be able to do so around that time.

So here's to my baby growing healthily and our family feeling continually whole. :-)

Baby Deals

Look at what I got today for $45.89:

At CVS:

• (2) 22.2 oz. containers of Enfamil formula
• (4) 35 packs of Pampers diapers
• (2) 8 fl. oz. bottles of Dawn dish detergent
• (1) 25 count travel can of baby wipes

Here's how I did it:

I started by purchasing a $30.25 gift card for $27.72 via raise.com through Ebates. This awarded an extra 1.0 % cash back from ($.28) as well. I used that toward the purchases

Coupon usage:

(4) -$1.50 Pampers coupons (coupons.com)
(1) -$.50 Dawn coupon (coupons.com)
(2) $5 Enfamil coupons (received by mail)
$17.50 in Extrabucks coupons from various sales above

$34.00 in coupons
+  2.81 in online gift card purchase savings
$36.81 in savings


And voila! There you have what I could have paid in just diapers or formula for a fraction of the price!

At a Loss

I stepped on the scale today. I was down 25 pounds from the 60 that I gained during my pregnancy. And that's just a little less than a month postpartum, no real exercise. I am waiting until my 6 week checkup until I really get back into the grind and go to the gym. Here's to new mom weight loss...

Getting Rid of the Guilt

I am still working through the guilt of not breastfeeding. I tried. Zavier hated it, constantly crying at my slow milk productions, nipple shield falling off (which he would only use to feed!), the awkward positioning and probably sensing my frustration. My mom witnessed it one day, the screaming, the wailing, stating that she really understood why straight bottle feeding might just be the best thing for this little boy.

Even after seeing a lactation consultant and pumping my heart out (at least to the best of my ability) I still couldn't seem to get in the habit. My boyfriend asked me the other day if I was still breastfeeding. I said that I was trying. I lied. I think that I am over it, though I'm not over feeling bad about it.

I talked to friends who breastfed exclusively too, for various reasons. That eased my guilt a bit. Plus, Zavier is gaining weight; He is healthy and happy, and even doing things that are developmentally advanced for his age. So, I must be doing something right, no?

One day I am sure that I will feel better about my decision not to be a mother locked to the pump. I'm looking forward to that day. In the meantime, I will just have to attempt to stop beating myself up over it.