WIN A FREE BABY JOGGER CITY MINI GT STROLLER!

Image from: Celebritybabyscoop.com

Image from: SuperstarBabies.com

LETS FACE IT: FREE STUFF...IS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

And that's why I am dedicating this entire blog post to a giveaway from a company named Baby Jogger! 

Scroll all the way to the bottom and simply enter now...if you haven't got the time to read! Go ahead...I wont tell!

So whats the deal?

Well... Peppyparents.com is doing another of their fabulous monthly giveaways, and this time they are gifting the fabulous Baby Jogger City Mini GT stroller to someone...like you! Yup...that's the stroller there in the picture! Its a pretty cool ride for a pretty cool baby! Maybe that baby is yours!

Just an FYI: I am not affiliated with babyjogger.com. Nope...am not paid for this little post here at all.  Would be cool if I were though, wouldn't it!? LOL!

I first saw this stroller on one of the daily vlogs of one of my favorite YouTubers: Judy Travis from Itsjudyslife and Itsjudytime.

Infact...in one of her most recent vlogs, her baby Julianna is featured IN the City Mini GT! Check it out here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zmgbLRLOy4.

I wanted that stroller the minute I saw it!  

The stroller comes in many different colors and is quite possibly the best made stroller brand on the market! Trust me on this one...I own the City Select...and it is fabulous!

So....you want one?

Enter the contest! I know I will! 

ENTER HERE! Good LUCK!

Contest closed.

GETTING BABY TO SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!

Image provided through: Amazon.com

December 2012.... 7 months ago...

"Its your turn to get the baby..."
"No, its your turn..."
"I got her last time..."
"I got her for longer...."
"I have work tomorrow..."
"I have to take care of her all day..."
"But she wants you..."
"Nope, she most definately wants you..."
Grumbling ensues...
"I carried her for nine months...I am still recovering. Its YOUR turn to get the baby..."

Fast forward to today, July 2013.
Our daughter is 7 months old and we are just now beginning to see the light at the end of the long and lonely tunnel of doom, gloom and sleep deprivation...(Ok, it isn't THAT bad.)
A little over a month ago, and one too many tiffs about frustration and swallowed resentment...we bought a book. A book that is beginning to shed light on a little issue that all new parents hum about: "Getting the baby to sleep through the night".
(Scroll to the bottom for the links right now if you reallllly are pressed for time)

If you are on my page reading I know you do not have time to yourself these days, not with a frequent waker on your hands. Or maybe yours is the baby that actually does sleep at night but won't (for the love of God!) take a nap during the day.
If so... I am not telling you that is the end of it all right here right now...but I am telling you that it is quite possibly never too late to sleep train your baby or toddler. Starting NOW however, is a pretty darn good time.

Back Story:
Our daughter wasnt a bad sleeper...per se. By 3 months she would wake perhaps 2-3 times per night, plus she was happily in her crib and her own room. We would offer her a bottle of breastmilk at one of those feedings. Somewhere around the 5 month mark though, she did indeed start to clock a great set of hours. Around 8:30 ish or 9 at night...till around 5:30ish to 6 in the morning---blessed uninterrrupted sleep. By the pediatrician's standards, she was indeed "sleeping through the night." 

However, with the 6 month mark---and all the milestones that tend to cluster together at this stage---our baby began to wake frequently again! Adding to the frustration was the fact that she was indeed teething. Daytime naps also went out the door too, and lets just say I was once more the same old grey, unrecognizably tired zombie that I had become when we just took her home. Not realizing how viscious a cycle we were dealing with (tiredness begets more tiredness---NOT more sleep!) we thought for sure that her late bedtimes would mean later morning wakes and more naps.... Nope! No such duck...

Enter the hunt for a solution.
I will start by saying that there a few great books on sleep training that are absolutely noteworthy, though #1 on my list is the method I chose that works best for me and my family. Check them out below! (Click picture to read reviews!)

The Sleep Lady's Good Night, Sleep Tight... by Kim West.


Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weisbluth, MD.


The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantly



Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Dr. Richard Ferber


TOP SLEEP TRAINING BOOKS on Amazon.com



You have to find out what is right for you.
Do you think you can try and sustain a sleep training technique where the baby is gently taught to sleep by crying it out? Then the Ferber Method may work for you!
The most gentle approach is reportedly the No Cry Sleep Solution (though this method seems to have a questionable success rate long term for some families.
I liked MY method because it is practical. All inclusive (training through travel, sickness, broken schedules and more!)

Conclusion:

Our daughter isnt perfect and neither are we. She sleeps most night in her crib now for 9-11 hours (and she does still have a brief set of wake ups throughout the night though it isnt enough to arouse anyone---including herself----for long.)
She also takes naps daily now---two naps that are 1hr to 2 hrs each, usually! Some days she takes powernaps (3 half hour naps). Also, we finally we have solved a HUGE issue...she now naps IN her own bed!)
What was HER particular problem?
Well: me really. I nursed her to bed early on. She would fall asleep at the breast and began to expect that at all times. This actually was a very fast way to get her to sleep (and wonderful when they are younger than 3 mths old! But upon waking at night (as all normal human beings do) she had come to learn NO concept of soothing herself back to sleep! Thats why we chose to sleep train.
We have setbacks, but we are staying on track and this method is definately one worth looking into!

***Please feel free to leave your questions, suggestions and other comments as you may be helping another tired mommy like you!***

(Read the hundreds of reviews on Amazon.com and make the choice that works for you!)

STROLLER GIVEAWAY ALERT FOR AUGUST 2013!
 Peppyparents.com is having a giveaway for you mommies out there! WIN a free Baby Jogger City Mini GT stroller!
Click the link Below and try your luck! I did!
http://blog.peppyparents.com/~cd51ffd1655382f

FIRST DAY IN BRACES: WIRES INSTALLED! (pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

"So how are your braces?" asks the friendly receptionist at the orthodontist's office yesterday.
I smile widely (and awkwardly, as I now believe ALL my smiles are awkward facsimiles of the one I used to have)
"I hate them!" I exclaim brightly!
She smiles, "Yeah, all our adult patients say that! It seems they hate them worse than the kids do!"
MMmmm hmmm. Thats because children don't know any better! And in some circles it seems that braces are actually "cool".

So...yes.
I had the wires installed yesterday in my In-Ovation R metal brackets. During the installation of the wires and for about 2 hours afterward, the sensation was nothing more than an itchy sort of pressure. Not pain at all. I began to convince myself that it probably wouldnt hurt!  (same delusions I was suffering from when I decided to get braces in the first place!)

That was yesterday at 3 o'clock in the afternoon... and by 9pm the pain was there, for sure. I wouldnt say it is excruciating pain, not for me anyway. Nothing to make me cry. However the pain is wince-inducing! I presently cannot allow my teeth to touch...at ALL. I cannnot chew. (THIS is really beginning to bother me since I just had my first real meal after the extractions, yesterday!). The orthodontist did let me know that the pain would probably stick around after each wire change but sheesh! This is just...a lot.

I guess in the end it will be worth it.
Note for the newly braced: Get wax. Get lip guards for the friction FROM the brackets/wire. Get some tylenol. Try not to utilize NSAIDS at this time (like Motrin and Advil and Aleve. The NSAIDS reportedly slow teeth movement. Though if thats all you can take, then for all that is good and great...knock yourself out!) Get the appropriate flossers and most definately always have lip balm on hand.

Am off to make some porridge now...

EATING AFTER PREMOLAR EXTRACTIONS?

MIKE-SELL'S PUFFCORN DELITES..... I have lightly sucked on these since day 2 after the extractions. It is not nutrient rich, oh no. But I have gotten soooo tired of the baby-foodish diet that I needed to feel like I was having a "treat".

May 20 ( 4 days after)

The Post Extraction Diet:

Pureed Butternut Squash:
1 Squash. Boiled (or baked). Skin removed. Dab of butter. 1 tbsp brown sugar. Salt to taste. Mash with fork (or kitchen utensil of choice) and ....eat. (Or more like, lick off spoon).

Porridge

8 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add 2 cups cornmeal, 1 cup Cream of wheat. 1/2 can of coconut milk. About 1/2 cup of sugar. 1 tbsp butter. Salt to taste. 1 cup coconut milk. 1/2 cup condensed milk (if you want it super creamy). Stir in cornmeal a little at a time ANd  keep stirring. (it clumps otherwise) Add other ingredients and keep stirring. Let cook n low heat for about 30 mins). Serve warm/room temp because of achy sockets....

Avocado MilkShake

1 Small Avocado. Blended in with 2 cups Almond (or other milk substitute of choice) milk. 1 dash of nutmeg or cinammon. Sugar to taste. 1tsp vanilla.

The first day after, the sockets were sore. Not painful really, and I was still surprised by the low amount of pain but eating would definately be a challenge as getting anything IN the sockets would most likely HURT!!!  I had already made a large pot of porridge (caribbean islanders and many europeans know about Porridge, but for those who dont...well, it sorta looks like what I envisioned prison food to resemble. But I like it...and its been a major source of sustenance for days now. I also ate tuna with mayo, mashed up. I also ate sardines with mayo (mashed up) but the resulting bad breath was not worth it. I am soooooooooo ready for solid food now though...

EXTRACTIONS OF THE SECOND PREMOLARS: And the Breastfeeding Mom.

I just had all four of my second premolars extracted for orthodontic purposes. Am getting my teeth straightened to perfection, as you now know, so this was part of the process. The second premolars are smaller than the first molar (see diagram) and they are also a bit further back and therefore dont show when you smile. I have a very wide smile though so maybe if someone is paying really close attention they would indeed be able to see the angry red holes. Speaking of which...

It wasnt as bad as I thought it would be.  My appointment was today at 2pm. Its 4:31pm right now, and I home and I am not in pain...yet, I guess.

The process started with the needles.A large impossing needle that, for its size, may have been shot gun in its previous life. I closed my eyes then. And in it went. The injection was painful to me. Nothing excrutiating but it felt like the bee sting I sustained when I was 7, but deeper. I groaned out loud. One shot on the anterior side and another shot on the posterior side...so 8 shots in total. Well, it SHOULD have been eight. But as luck would have it, my lower left premolar would not numb up. So the injection process had to be repeated an additional 4 times. Yes... that was indeed fun.

The oral surgeon then let me know it was time to start. He tested each tooth one by one... To cut a long story short, all but one tooth needed extra shots. And the troublesome lower left one was the one that needed an additional four shots. Then the rocking back and forth with the tool began. And then the yank to pull the tooth out from its safe home. After 3 teeth were removed, I started to cry. I had so much pent up anxiety prior to the procedure, and chose that moment (involuntarily) to let loose. I thought about my freshly done haircut (me, taking the scissors to my waist length hair). I thought about getting those uncomfortable brackets on my teeth. I thought about giving birth for the first time a scant 5 months ago... Was my life flashing before my eyes? Well...not really.

As the troublesome tooth would not numb up, I had to take a bathroom break. I looked in the mirror and tried not to feel alarmed. Man! What a difference sensation makes! My face looked so odd to me, just because I could not feel my lips!

The entire thing was done in about 45 minutes. I guess it would have been shorter if the stubborn tooth would have been more cooperative.

Breast Feeding and Extractions:
I was of course up from with the doctor about the fact that I am breastfeeding. The local anesthetic does not generally pass through the blood and if it does, it would be a minimal amount, I was assured. I was also prescribed a course of Amoxicillin. It is the same antibiotic you are given if you are ever to have the unfortunate bout of mastitis as a new mom. So all safe there. I was instructed to take 800mg of Ibuprofen every 6 hrs as pain persists and beyond since the anti-inflammatory properties are beneficial to a speedier healing.

The Bleeding!
Ok...this is the gross part. I cant quite bring myself to look at the holes, yet. I have taken glimpses but ugh...its a mess. I am not even scared of blood! I just dont want to see the oozing pit! I am changing my gauze pads as instructed. And I need to. I dunno WHAT they were saying about me not bleeding much. Unless I am a latent bleeder somehow? I am indeed bleeding! Its weirding me out. I have my ice packs from my Simplisse for Dr. Browns breast pump on my face now. I hope it helps.

My Concerns?
Well...as I wont be able to eat as well... I am concerned about a drop in my milk supply. I am concerned about any infection that may set in. I am thus far too soon out of the procedure to tell for sure but am also concerned about the severity of the pain.  I will post updates later...

Add your comments or questions below if you too are breastfeeding and have to have extractions done!

THANKS FOR READING!

DAY TWO IN BRACES: "What They DONT Tell You!"

KFC Mashed Potato n Gravy.

"HELLO BABYFOOD!"

Well...not really.
As I mentioned in my first post about getting braces (see top tab of page), I do not yet have any wires on the braces at the moment (therefore no tightening/straightening going on yet). BUT...I had NO IDEA how uncomfortable the sensation of braces would be!

At the consult, we discussed types of braces to put on. The normal "traditional" brackets that require elastic bands, did intrigue me a bit. However, being honest with myself I figured I wouldnt be putting any coloured bands on my teeth at the ripe old age of 31. The orthodontist pointed out the clear ceramic brackets, but they were much larger than expected and I was sure they would make my already full lips simply protrude even more! And as I said before, the reported "stain factor" of this more aesthetically pleasing bracket choice did not interest me at all.  So I was left with the 3rd option...In-Ovation R brackets. They are also called speed braces in some circles. They are smaller....ok...correction, they take up less square footage on each tooth. However, now that they are ON my teeth, I am beginning to wonder if the traditional brackets (that require elastic bands) wouldnt be a better choice as those were most definately FLATTER!  The In-Ovation R braces have little doors that open and close to insert wires. But they also have the little "door handle" that protrudes! And those little handles are presently the bane of my existence!

Its May 13, 2013 today. And I got the braces on May 10.
What no one said to me was that there is an addtional, heretofore unmentioned "discomfort" of having your inner cheeks and inner lips abraded constantly! It takes some REAL getting used to! At first I thought I would certainly have sores. The ortho told me to forsake the mouthwash for a bit and simply swish and swirl some very salty water around in my mouth for a couple of days. Not sure if that has prevented the sores---well, I didnt GET sores (yet?) but it is surely SORE! There is a swollen welt present along the inner cheeks and along my lips where the brackets maintain their ingratiating contact. My inner cheeks and lips have gotten so puffy that the braces stick to my lips when I speak and eat. I expect it to tear into it any moment now but it hasnt (Thank God!). Infact, yesterday I started experiencing an interesting numb sensation, NO ONE MENTIONED THIS TO ME BEFORE. I guess all that rubbing finally started to make the area numb. I also wore the wax to bed on the night of the 11th and on the 12th and that seemed to help but TIP:  Here's wwhat they dont tell you: "lay off the wax during the day. Allow your cheeks and gums to get toughened up!" (which means yes, if sores start, let them be. Allow them to heal at night but its like a cut. The scar will form. And it is that scarring that will help protect your gums/cheeks/lips in the long run.

Things That Have Helped?
-Get the Waterpik!
I have the Waterpik Waterflosser, Cordless.  But I would certainly recoomend the bigger, plugged in variety since the version I have has to be refilled around 4 times to get a thorough cleansing done. If you arent fussy like me then it wont be a problem but I can see how it could be annoying for some people.

-I also have an Oral B Vitality, electric toothbrush.
It took some getting used to at first. Am pretty sure I wont be able to use it for a bit after I get the extractions done but, I like how thorough a job it does at cleaning!

-Smooth Floss is a must!
You will not want the ones that are rope like. Nothing that snags or hitches anywhere will please you. (I have the Oral B Satin Floss for now.....but when the wire goes on I will have an update and new floss techniques!)

Eating has been interesting.
 I have these bumpers on my rear teeth. The ortho used the composite material to elevated my bite somewhat as I was biting down on the brackets themselves. This has now left me with a lovely open bite and a very unnatural chewing surface area and a weird sensation and taste while I attempt to eat. I basically have started to wonder what I have gotten myself into, and yes am sure I am not the only one to wonder that at the outset. I am still...HATING braces. But...slowly am getting used to it! Now...for the extractions tomorrow afternoon!.....Eeeeeeeek!

Until Next Time!

By The Way: One of the best braces journeys on video I have seen is the one from BRACES4AQUARIUSCHIC on Youtube.com.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU1rkS_pFp8