Tips for expecting parents!

These were some of my favorite tips I got from other parents when expecting my daughter.  There were a TON more that were also fantastic but these are my favorites! Please share some of your favorite tips as well!!!

Layer the baby's mattress fitted waterproof pad, fitted sheet, fitted waterproof pad, fitted sheet. This way, if there is a mess to clean in the middle of the night, you can just take off the top layer and have clean sheets ready for baby instantly and can even put off the serious clean up part for morning.

When purchasing a car seat, if you have a smaller cab vehicle (compact car, most trucks, etc), go to the baby store near you and have them place several styles of car seats in your car to see which actually fit safely.

Don't get caught up in brands. What works for one baby or one family, may not work for you. Before investing in bottles (or other objects), get 1 or 2 from several different brands. Once you find what works best for you, then make the investment necessary to meet your needs.

Big Girl Undies!!!

My daughter's undies came in a few days ago.  We still diaper when she sleeps and when we are on the go but at home she wears the undies.  She is amazing!!!

I will say, she does use all of this against me sometimes.  When we sit in time out, she will sign for potty just to be able to get out of time out and sometimes she will even pee so now I keep her potty handy near time out.  I don't use the potty as time out though but if she signs, then I put her on it.  Thankfully, she is still happy w the potty but my hesitation w potty-ing during time out was that she would start thinking that the potty was time out and therefore something negative but haven't had any issues w it.

Last night, she walked into the living room and by the way she was walking, I was just about to ask, "Do you need to go potty?" but before I could she signed.  She did start in her undies but no big deal.  She's still learning how to gauge it.

She is still really good in public, even though she is in diapers in public.  Even today, we were at the park and pretty far from the restrooms and she signed.  I do find that letting her walk seems to help her hold it but she wanted to be carried today.  I got her there, set her up, she still had a dry diaper and she still went in the potty!  So she knows when she needs to go and is usually really good about communicating with us about it.  But is so nice doing this and NOT ever feeling it necessary to discipline or reward her for her potty habits (we do praise her and get excited when she goes, of course).

Exciting Updates on EC!

We started using the Pottete (sp) Plus potty seat when we are out and about and have had amazing success!!!

Yesterday, my husband and I were running errands with our daughter in tote and THREE times, she signed "potty" and I took her to the bathroom every time.  Two of the times, I really didn't expect to catch it because we were so far from the bathroom but when she signs, I always take her anyway.

She went ALL THREE TIMES!!!!  One of the times, I was obviously in the stall with her and was so excited when she started going that I was praising her and saying what a good girl and big girl she was, etc.  When we came out of the stall, there was another woman waiting for a stall and she did a double take when she saw how little my daughter was! It was pretty adorable :)

Last night, as soon as we got home from errands, we finally got online and ordered our daughter some big girl training undies (I can't find any in stores in her size since she is 18 months old).  I can't wait to start using them (at least just at home for now).

This week is supposed to be super warm so perhaps we will just have naked time at home until her undies get here!  We shall see... that is a lot of work after all haha

Dealing with aches and pains of pregnancy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCSFobwvQTg

Quick background about myself:

I'm a licensed massage therapist, specialize in pre and postnatal massage.

I'm also very into nutrition and fitness.

Along w my studies of anatomy and movement, I also have MANY old injuries.  Some caused from rough play (like a jet ski accident, mountain climbing, etc) and others genetic (like that I have an extra lumbar vertebrae which has caused scoliosis plus I also have mild spina bifida).
Despite my injuries and health issues (severe chronic asthma), I stay active.  The more active I am, the better my body feels and functions.

Through pregnancy, I continue my regular fitness routines (modify when needed) which includes yoga.  This morning, I was going to participate in my usual work out routines but my joints have been popping and just hurting in general.  One of the reasons our joints are hurting is from the elastin our bodies are releasing to allow our bodies to open up to eventually let baby out.  Another reasons for the pains we feel is that our bodies are rapidly changing which hurts PLUS with that change, our circulation is changing as well so our muscles are being deprived oxygenated blood they need to function properly.  Massage and movement encourage oxygenated blood to these muscles.

As I was saying about my pain this morning, I was woken up all through the night from the sounds of my joints poppy and the growing discomfort I'm feeling.  So this morning, instead of getting into one of my more strength training routines, I jumped on YouTube to find a video to help me out and found this video.  I just finished it and WOW! I feel so much better so I wanted to share w you!

Elimination Communication Continues....

Over the weekend, I finally found a travel potty seat that is working out for us.

It is a Potette Plus seat. The reasons I like it:

• It folds up but not where baby sits so as not to pinch
• It also can be a seat on it's own.  It comes w bags so that if you are on a road trip or somewhere where you can't get to an actual toilet, it becomes one on it's own
• So far, it fits on top of all toilets I've tried.
• My daughter is comfortable on it and we have had several catches on it!
• Other fold up seats I've tried, she obviously didn't feel comfortable on.  I think because the other travel seat I got folded up so when she sat on it, it would give a little.  It never did pinch her but I worried it might so we discontinued using that seat.

Our other obstacle we are facing:

We can't find 18 month big girl undies in stores.  I have found some online which seem fine but I prefer buying something like this that I can see in person and kind of eye ball if they will actually fit her.  She is outgrowing 18 month clothing but she is a lean baby so I don't know that 2T would fit her right.

Oddly, I can find 2T undies but if I want the thicker training type undies, I can only find 3T and 4T.  Since I don't know that we will successfully catch all pees in the beginning, I'd much rather use the training undies.

PICTURES: So I am working on getting pictures on here of some of the seats we use.

I highly recommend the type of seats that are saddle shaped so that baby sort of straddles it.  It is just easier and more comfortable for them in the beginning.  I also stick to plain designs.  I don't want the colors, bells and whistles.  I feel like I would have to later "train" her to sit on a regular toilet without the fancy stuff.  You know what I mean?

This was my daughter's first potty.  She doesn't use it much at all now because shortly after getting this, I found a seat that inserts into the actual toilet.  It is kind of a pain to have to clean out a little potty when you can just as easily use the actual toilet and simply flush when done :D

I will be using this seat again soon though.  Once I get more into "training" her, I will keep it on a waterproof pad wherever she happens to be playing to help us have more successful catches.  Also, once she expresses interest in using the potty at night, I might just put this in her room on a waterproof pad so she doesn't have to go into the bathroom (young children in the bathroom alone makes me nervous).

OH!!! Before I forget, during the summer, we often will just have naked time to help me learn her cues better and have more catches.  Last summer, just before my daughter first birthday, she was sitting on this potty and right after she finished, she stood up and RAN to me! Her first steps! :D

It was a very exciting day :)

THIS IS MY FAVORITE!!!

This is an insert by Nuby.  I actually have ONLY seen this at Once Upon a Child (purchased new).  Cleaning out the little Bjorn potty was still easier than clean up w a diaper BUT I am a germ-a-phobe and cleaning and sanitizing after every catch was just getting to be too much.

This is what the Nuby looks like once inserted into your toilet.  I have come across toilets it doesn't fit but usually it fits other toilets.  As you can probably tell though, this is kind of an awkward seat to travel with so we only brought it with us when going to friends/families homes.

PS: Someone recently told me that this photo makes the seat look like a "creepy mouth" lol! Well, this angle just isn't the best I suppose.  My daughter doesn't find it creepy but I had to laugh at the comment because, in this picture, it actually does look like that pink slime thing from Ghostbusters 2 that jumped out of the bathtub!

Potette Plus

I haven't taken a picture of the travel seat we just got but here is a link I hope works to take you to it.  So far, we do like it.  I don't LOVE it but we've had catches with it and she seems to like it okay (still prefers her Nuby seat of course).