Also, the Sleep Sheep.  I thought they were cute, but (again) pricey and unnecessary.  Fast forward to this week when they put one in his crib at daycare and he fell asleep in minutes with no fussing.  I’ve watched it work its magic myself during several of my visits.  We will be sheep-hunting this weekend, for sure! 

His room has M’s old crib (which belonged to her 2 cousins before her).  It’s (gasp!) a drop side and I have no intention to replace it.  Don’t get me started on how stupid I think the crib recall is. Over 3 million cribs have been recalled for 36 deaths in 3 years, all of which were the result of either a broken part or user error. That’s a .00012% failure rate.  Your baby has a better chance of being struck by lightning then getting caught in a faulty crib.

More babies die every year from suffocation in blankets, bumpers and toys than from defective cribs, yet you don’t see them recalling the cutesy, insanely expensive crib bedding sets.  I had to MacGyver a flat bed sheet to be a crib skirt since I couldn’t find anything that wasn’t part of a set! Why would I want a crib-size quilt or bumpers when you aren’t supposed to put a baby and those things in a crib at the same time?  I just wanted something to cover up the space between the raised bed and the drawer below and the one we had in M’s room doesn’t match the walls in MAD’s room.  Seriously new moms, here is what you need: 2-3 sheets, 2-3 waterproof mattress pads/covers and a crib skirt (aesthetic reasons only).  Maybe down the line you might get this.  I just saved you $200.

Whew! Sorry, I think I just got way too worked up over baby bedding.  Moving on…

All the hand-me-down stuff I got for M (play gym, bouncy seat, portable swing, pack-n-play) is holding up fine. That is except for the Bumbo.  A friend gave me hers when M was a baby.  I loved it, she loved it – for all of about 3 months.  It’s a great invention, just not worth the $35 retail price for such a short time.  So in the spirit of paying it forward, I passed it on to someone with the intention of getting it back, but then we moved and oh well – I’d just get a used on from Craigslist. 

However, I didn’t think to ask if the owner smoked because what kind of asshole smokes around a baby?  Apparently the person I bought it from is just that kind of an asshole.  And foam rubber soaks up odors because it’s a sponge.  So, after Googling and Tweeting for advice, I sealed it up in a plastic bag with a huge dose of vinegar and a jar of baking soda for a week.  Last night, after a week in solitary deodorization confinement I removed it and …. It still stinks.  Guess that’s a wasted $20 and I’ll probably shell out the $35 to get a new one.  At least I know I can get $20 back on Craigslist in a few months. (I’m still a huge advocate of buying used baby gear, though – just stick with resale shops where you can give things the sniff test!) 

So, to any of you newer moms – what’s your “must have” item? What am I missing out on since I avoid Babies R Us at all costs? Veteran moms, what was the most useless/impractical thing you bought for your first?

*I got nothing from Aden+Anais.  I bought my own swaddles and love them so I’m telling you about them.

• - M was an awful sleeper.  She was 5 months before she slept a consistent 6 hours at night.  We never dared check on her after putting her down because she would wake up the instant we entered her room. MAD slept his first straight 8 hours at 6 weeks.  By 8 weeks it was consistent.  Nothing wakes the kid up, not even the dog barking at the mailman.  Now at 12 weeks he’s clocking 9-10 hours a night without a wake-up, even when I check on him.  It’s awesome.

• - At 11 weeks MAD was 15 pounds.  M didn’t reach that weight until 21 weeks!

• - M never, ever took a bottle.  We tried every kind, every trick, and every method from 3 weeks to 5 months before giving up.  We didn’t want the same problem with MAD so we started him on one bottle of formula a day in the hospital, despite the warnings from the lactation consultant. He did fine going back and forth from me to it and I was confident I would not be tethered to him by a 3-hour leash like I was his sister.   
  That was until about 6 weeks when all of a sudden he started refusing all bottles. Since then we’ve tried pumped breast milk, different formulas, new bottles, and different temperatures.  He wouldn’t take it. You can imagine my stress as I got ready to come back to work.  My job now isn’t nearly as flexible as it was then (although I still have the same amazingly understanding boss). We kept working on it and found that the Playtex Drop-In bottles with rubber nipples (not the exact same ones in silicone – no way!) were the only thing he could be coaxed to accept.  But then he would only take about an ounce and only from me.
  So I prepared to make 2 trips to daycare each day to feed him, although I still sent 2 2-oz. bottles for them to try. Day 1 he wouldn’t take a drop.  Day 2 he drank both bottles with no fuss.  Today I sent 2 4-oz. bottles and am keeping my fingers crossed he is cooperative.  I really need to only go over at lunch, or my productivity in the office is going to be nil.
   
• - Speaking of bottles, I know this is probably way TMI but I am astonished at my pumping output this time.  With M, ever hopeful that she would take a bottle, I pumped for 4 months.  The most I ever produced from a 30 minute double pumping session was 4 oz.  You can imagine my heartbreak when I had to pour 45 pouches of breast milk down the drain when we gave up the bottle attempts with her.   
  This time 20 minutes gives me 6-10 oz. easily.  Every single time I stare at the full bottles and marvel.  It was so hard last time, and while it’s still not any more comfortable or glamorous it’s so much more worthwhile to see decent output.  Add to it that he’s, you know, actually drinking it and it makes it much less demanding to sit through those god-awful pumping sessions.
  Now, I know putting this in writing is all going to curse me and he’ll start taking 16 oz a day from a bottle and I won’t be able to keep up!

So far MAD has been a very easy baby.  I think it’s because of the sleep.  Anything is easier when you get 8 hours of sleep!

What about other mothers? Did you find yourself marveling at how different things were from one kid to the next? For the second (or third, or fourth) did you prepare yourself for some “problem” that never happend that time around or take steps to prevent something that happened anyway?

1 – He was drafted to the then very crappy Cavs 7 years ago.  He did not choose to stay here near his hometown of Akron.  But he really did make the best of his time here.  He has done a lot to bring attention to both Cleveland and Akron.  He played 7 great years of basketball (hello, 2 MVPs!).  The Cavs did everything they could to help bring Cleveland a championship. LeBron did everything he could to bring a championship home (with possible exception being the final playoff game against the Celtics this year). And we still couldn’t close the deal. He’s allowed to move on without being called disloyal.

2 – When drafted at the age of 18 he said lots of things about bringing Cleveland a ring.  That’s all well and good but my god, I hope no one holds me to things I said as an 18 year old!  Think about it – if someone put your feet to the fire over something you said at that age you are bound to be burned.

3 – This will not destroy our city. Cleveland is way more at heart and financially then a single man.  The last I checked the Cavs are still playing next season, one man does not make a team. I’m still a fan and will go to games, just like thousands of others. Heck, the Browns and Indians have sucked for years and people still pay to see them play.

4 – The man is an entertainer, he’s kept us entertained for the last 2 weeks as he made “The Decision”. He’s done his job well & now everyone is shitting on him for giving us something to talk about. We’ve fed his ego for 7 years & now people burn his jersey over him being the diva we asked him to be?  That’s not fair.

5 – Yeah, doing this on national TV was a bad move.  But see my diva comment above. And, like it or not, I think most Clevelanders wear the “beat down sports town” badge with some level of pride.

6 – We now have 3 huge egos on one team… if you are a NBA fan, it will be entertaining to say the least. (I still think the Lakers will beat them and win next year’s championship, too.)

7 – It’s a GAME people, not a “tragedy”. The oil spill is a tragedy. What’s happening to Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is a tragedy. Get some perspective.

8 – All of a sudden, a crybaby who publically begged and pleaded for more money or he was going to leave the Browns (*cough* Josh Cribs *cough*) is being held up as the Cleveland definition of loyalty? Come on, we are better then this.

9 – I’m left wondering where the hate is for Patricia Heaton, Halle Berry, Ben Curtis & Toni Morrison and many more. All stars in their fields. All call Cleveland their hometown. All moved on to where they could make the most of their careers. LBJ is entitled to do the same and still be welcomed home.

10 – We’re still not Detroit!

I have no ill will toward the man.  I wish him well in Miami and hope he continues to do charitable work in NE Ohio.  I hope people still treat him well when he’s home.

Okay, I can go to bed now.

However, once the baby is out and nursing begins my sugar cravings go through the roof.  I can’t get enough sweets.  I don’t have to fight to get the baby weight off.  I have to fight to keep the nursing weight off.  Which is where I am right now.  Luckily during this time of year I can usually satisfy these cravings with fresh fruit.  Every night I have a big bowl of fresh, local berries and milk. But it’s so easy to make up a batch of homemade shortcake to go with the strawberries, or sprinkle my blueberries with sugar.

With M I exercised throughout my pregnancy.  I walked almost daily and took a weekly prenatal yoga class.  With MAD, I barely did anything.  A cardio class here and there.  A few dates with a treadmill and that was it.  I might have been down in weight but I was completely out of shape.

So a couple of weeks ago, when a neighborhood girl dropped off a flyer about her babysitting services I called her the next day.  After 2 days of me staying home while she was a “mother’s helper” for a few hours, I was confident MAD was ready for me to leave him in the sitter’s care.  The next day I looked at the class offerings at my gym and attended one.

Last week I went to five classes.  I went to Total Conditioning with Pauline and got my ass kicked several times over.  I tried a boxing class using weighted gloves.  A barbell strength class that should be renamed “do squats for an hour while lifting” was awesome.  And Zumba had me laughing at myself the entire hour (I am SO not a dancer!).  I feel great.  I’m sore and tired but it’s such a good feeling, one I haven’t had in awhile. The squats are getting easier.  I feel strong again.

This week it’s the same thing.  And I’ve already booked the sitter for next week, too.  Then I go back to work.

My gym only offers one late evening class a week (something I am really trying to get them to change).  I’m bummed because I love classes.  I love mixing it up and pushing through an hour of moves.  I challenge myself much more in a class then I would on my own.  I did burpees today!! I would NEVER do those on my own. But, I’m trying to come up with a plan to keep me motivated after I return to work.

I think I will start the C25k program which I can do outside or on our treadmill after the kids are in bed.  I’m going to try to make it to that Monday night class.  My office has yoga on Thursdays which I will start again. Maybe I’ll do the 30 Day Shred or Power 90 a couple of times a week.  Or head to the gym after the kids are in bet to use the weights.  I have to do something to keep the nursing weight off.

Now, if I can only kick this insane sugar craving. I’m reading about AndreAnna‘s journey with great interest. I know that’s the next step, but one I’m not quite ready to make.  Yet.