Just Go Poop!!

Is it sad that I anxiously wait in anticipation for Avery to have her poop of the day?  That’s a rhetorical question, so don’t answer.

Most parents must have similar feelings towards the “poop of the day” for their babies, right? I mean, once that poop’s out, it just seems like Avery is more relaxed (therefore sleeps better) and happier, just like us adults. No one wants a bunch of crap they can’t get rid of, literally.

Avery has been eating really good, but I just don’t see the poop as much as I would expect. I guess it’s mostly pee or something. Makes sense being only liquid she’s having right now. And when she does poop, oh man, it can be massive! But she gives us about 20 million phantom poops all day with her farts. Seriously, some can be pretty wet sounding, and we when check, nothing. Throws Kelley and me through a loop every day!

dos-equis-man

Well, another night in crib has passed, but not without its issues. She woke up fussy several times, and Kelley calmed her a few, but then as it got later she broke out of the swaddle and I needed to go in there. I mentioned before about the husband and wife having differences on certain aspects of raising a child, and last night we ran into those. Nothing big, but differences nonetheless.

First off, I am more accepting of letting Avery cry for several minutes after being laid down. If she’s not opening her eyes, I consider her just being very restless and it will subside. Kelley, being the very attentive and wonderful mother she is, can’t stand this and wants to soothe her. When it’s late, Kelley needs to sleep, but she got up since I was waiting too long.

Who’s wrong or right? I have no clue, but figure it’s just our different styles. I wouldn’t let Avery sit and scream for 30 minutes or anything, but who knows maybe I am doing things wrong. If so, sorry Kelley….and Avery. Right now I’m watching Avery take her morning nap and she’s been pretty good so far; wish the nights were the same.

Looks happy here!
Looks happy here!

The other little thing is swaddling. Kelley thought I made it too tight and that her arms shouldn’t be by her side and should be folded up near her chest. I prefer to make a snug swaddle she can’t mover her arms all over and hit herself or suck her hands. I never knew the exact placement the arms should be, so I looked it up.

As you’d expect, the internet has sources saying to do both of those ways. Here’s a link I found that’s pretty informative from Troublesome Tots. Scroll down a little to “Swaddling Houdini Babies”. Avery is great at breaking her arms free, so I would label her a Houdini Baby. This says to place arms at her side snugly, but allow for the feet to move. So, that’s what I do, but other places say you can do arms up. The FAQ section on The Happiest Baby on the Block also says arms down is good. The question was “Can swaddling a baby with arms down be bad?”

Where does that get us? No where, really, but we can try both and see what works best for Avery. The most important thing, is that Kelley and I can not work against each other and make sure we are both happy. I miss seeing her during the day, so I’d like to enjoy our time when she is home.

All you baby swaddlers out there, how do you swaddle your baby? Anything work better for your little ones?

Toilet Seats Up!

Imagine someone holding their baby in one arm, not able to put down for whatever reason (we all have our reasons!), and really having to pee. Also, imagine this is a guy.

Now, lets assume this guy had left the toilet seat up from a previous pee and went back there expecting to have an easy “release” this time. But, much to his surprise, the seat’s down! WTF!?

Okay, I give, this guy is me, at least several times a day. I’m sure there are many other men who experience this same phenomenon. I understand that the general population considers lowering the seat the proper thing to do. I say, WRONG!

If anything, the seat should be left however the last person used it, but it’s very helpful to be able to not deal with a toilet seat while holding Avery. Yeah, yeah, somebody call the Whaaambulance, you say, but it’s difficult enough trying to pee with a squirmy baby.

It’s the only fair way…..

I understand women have to set the baby down to do anything potty related, but, well, I’m being selfish and talking about us men only. Sorry, I still respect all ladies. I love you, Kelley! : )

Just felt like ranting on this topic while it was fresh in my mind. I feel better now. Oops, maybe that’s because of pee……no, I’m good.

In other news, Avery’s 3rd night in the crib wasn’t so great. We tried a new swaddle thing called the Woombie but all she did was get her arms close to her face and stuck in some uncomfortable position. #fail

I eventually just swaddled her tightly in what we had and she slept better the rest of the night. So, I think we’ll try Woombie once she’s bigger and can’t move her arms so much.

Today will be my first time going to the store with Avery as a SAHD, wish me luck!

What are your thoughts on toilet seats?

Every try a Woombie? Success or a bust?

6 Reasons I Love the Morning

Morning used to be a dreaded thing; something that meant the drive to work where I’ll sit at a computer for several hours was soon approaching. I know many still do this, my wife included, and I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, just something that really got under my skin. I’m pretty sure a lot of my past bad blood results were from the stress I felt about my past job.

Me, happy.
Me, happy.

Now, I am happy to wake up and see my beautiful wife (despite what she says, she’s always beautiful!), my wonderful daughter, and be able to provide for them. Most days I am now able to prepare a warm, healthy breakfast for Kelley while simultaneously feeding Avery a bottle.

Avery and I see Kelley off and then it’s almost time for the first nap of the day. It was a long road for Kelley and me to get to where we are with our dear daughter, and we have never been so happy. I feel our relationship has grown even stronger and it gets better everyday. Okay, sometimes there’s regression during the night, but it blows over pretty fast.

So, I’m a much happier person for more than just 5 reasons, but here they are…..

  1. Seeing Avery give her “Squirmy Smiles”.  Almost every morning, when I put her on the changing table she’ll flash smiles while wriggling her arms and legs all over. It’s cute and it wins my heart every time.
  2. Being up with my wife and making something that she enjoys for breakfast. I love making loved ones happy with things I make. I usually don’t think I make anything very tasty since I’m so keen on making it healthy first, but she likes it and I’m happy to provide.
  3. Knowing there is no office to drag myself to and sit inside. My home is my office now, and my co-worker (errrr, boss?) is Avery. The chats are infrequent, but still worlds better than the pointless banter people say when crossing paths at work. Really, what’s with the need to say something when walking past someone? It’s okay to just smile and walk by.
  4. Exercising. I used to not do this until late in the afternoon when I got home from work. It sucked; energy was almost non-existent and the time felt limited. Now I can to sing our sweet daughter to sleep for her nap, and then fit in a workout in our garage.  Exercise is something I need to be healthy (obviously) and have peace of mind. Having it done before Kelley gets home means more family time and I love it!
  5. Knowing that each day Avery is learning and growing stronger. Kelley and I are both so happy that Avery does not have to go to a daycare. I know there is no other option for some parents out there, and we are truly grateful. Being able to raise our daughter in these first years will pay major dividends. I just can’t wait until we can play!!!
  6. Coffee. I’m a huge coffee fan; black is fine with me, but some skim milk is acceptable. I’m a fan of tea too, and enjoy all varieties; green, black, red, white, etc. Getting to make it at home means less spending and ultimately, more satisfaction. I love the French Press!

Okay, number 6 is pretty weak compared to the others, but I do like my coffee. Kelley mentioned how I already seemed to be a happier person since starting my “job” as a stay-at-home dad, and I couldn’t agree more.

I hope this is the start of something great and only continues to improve and make us stronger.

Crib update. Avery made her second night in the crib again and Kelley only had to go in to calm her once! She woke just before 2 a.m. and I brought her to Kelley for feeding. Once done, I took her back, soothed her, and laid her in her crib again. Success! She stayed asleep until 5 rolled around and she was ready for more feeding.

I hope we aren’t celebrating too early, but we are happy with how she’s been so far. Here’s to a good round 3 tonight!!

If you’re a stay-at-home parent, do you feel different from your past life in the workforce? Better, same, or worse?