It’s an odd thing, but if I can muster up the energy to climb on the treadmill at the end of the day, I’ll have extra energy the next day – even if I have to stay up later to do it. Like I said, it’s odd.
Exercise gives me (and presumably you) an endorphin kick and it also helps energize me the following day. Thirty or forty-five minutes on the treadmill should be burning off some calories, which I serious need, but it also is building up muscles and repairing the damage lack of exercise has done.
I’ll admit it, I didn’t exercise properly for the last two years. Coincidently my son is now two.
Exercising with a Baby
It should have been easy. There are tons of ways to exercise with a baby, and for a long time, we were doing just fine.
August 31st, 2007
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Rebecca |
Toddler Drama, Infant Issues, Baby Fat, All Parenting Articles |
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I can’t complain. My two-month-old is going up to seven hours at a stretch now at night. My only trouble is that he starts his stretch at eight PM and then sees no problen hanging out for an hour when he does wake up. This is a new annoying habit. (The habit is annoying, not the baby – he’s adorable!)
I know my company is simply to die for, but I’m doing everything I can to remind him that he is supposed to go right back to sleep after a quick meal. So far he’s having a memory lapse.
To help him remember faster, I’m:
Rice cereal is usually the first food given to a baby. According to experts babies should not be given solids, including rice cereal, until six months. When Jake was a baby, it was four months, but now apparently the “new” rule is six months.
I like to live on the edge, so I’ve already cheated. Brian has had cereal. And it didn’t work.
August 27th, 2007
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Notes from a Real Mom, Infant Issues, All Parenting Articles |
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Type II diabetes runs in my family, and its very likely I’ll land the disease by around age forty-five. Occasionally I’ll quit eating sugar and sweets just to make sure I still can and to help shed a few pounds. The last time I did it with any real vindication, I was in college. I dropped two sizes in about thirty days and felt great. I haven’t been serious about taking on a diabetic diet again since then – until now.
My childbearing is over, at least for a few years. My teaching career is on hold for a year. I’ve finally got a bit of time to exercise and focus on myself, so its time that I do.
I’m going cold turkey. I’m quitting sugar.
August 25th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Baby Fat, All Parenting Articles |
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Sleep for little ones is such a huge topic, I’m breaking it up into three sections: Newborns, Infants and Toddlers. Each has certain things that make their sleep patterns different and they have different quirks and solutions.
Newborn Sleep
When a baby is born and for the first eight to twelve weeks, his sleep is random, yet plentiful. Or at least is should be. The first few days, or weeks if your baby was early, are easy. Plop the baby down and he sleeps. He falls asleep easily and sleeps for decent amounts of time.
As he grows, he becomes more aware of the world and all there is to see and do. Who wants to sleep through that?
August 24th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Infant Issues, All Parenting Articles |
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A constipated baby on a liquid diet is no small feat. The iron in formula can cause the usual liquid poop to become more clay-like and hard for a baby to pass. In my vast formula feeding experience, which is rather extensive, there are two ways to deal with constipation in infants:
1. Dilute the formula. The iron in formula gives poop the lovely green color and can thicken it up. If you add a bit of extra water to each bottle, say a quarter of an ounce, it may be all that’s needed to keep things running smoothly.
2. Slip them some juice. Apple juice and prune juice are both great for loosing up the bowels, but apple tastes better (a personal preference.) Adding a half an ounce or so of juice to a single bottle should help soften things up.
If neither method is working after a couple of days, contact your doctor. Also, it’s normal for a formula fed baby to go a day or two without pooping and a breastfed baby can go three or four before there is cause for concern. If you’re worried, talk to your doctor. I’m not an expert; I’m just an experienced mom.
August 22nd, 2007
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My boys are going to be like peas in a pod. This is clear by the fact that they have already synchronized their bowel movements.
Jake, being a toddler, will make a dirty diaper and continue to play without alerting me to its presence. Meanwhile Brian, the seven-week-old infant, will be leisurely sucking at his bottle, halfway through a feeding and pause to make one of his own.
We put down the bottle to change Brian’s diaper and sibling rivalry rears its head.
August 21st, 2007
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Toddler Drama, Infant Issues, All Parenting Articles |
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My infant, Brian, wears onesies at night and his pajamas during the day. Odd, I know.
At night he is double swaddled and sleeps up to six hours at a stretch because of it. I don’t want him to overheat, so I dress him lightly in a onesie and socks. (His feet have a tendency to pop out the bottom.)
When he wakes up, I could leave him in the onesie and sometimes do. Guilt, however over the drawer full of cute pajamas overcomes me. They are too hot to wear at night with the swaddles, so I put them on him during the day.
Backwards, I guess. But it works and that is all that really matters with a seven week old baby.
August 20th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Infant Issues, All Parenting Articles |
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One of the worst things is to snuggle up to your baby and get a whiff of sour milk. This seems to be worst in the mornings, at least at my house. My baby goes to bed with skin fresh from his bath, but wakes up a bit sour. I think it has to do with the two night feedings in the dark. It’s hard to get the milk wiped up well if you can’t see it.
That being said, here’s how I handle sour milk. 
1. Block it. I know Brian is an fickle eater. He’ll suck it down and then stop. When he stops, it dribbles down his chin into the folds of his neck. If I remember, I’ll stick a burp cloth right under his chin
August 19th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Infant Issues, All Parenting Articles |
5 comments
Going to the grocery store with a toddler and an infant is rather complicated it seems. My toddler and infant are slightly more complicated than most because my youngest son has outgrown the infant carrier at six weeks of age. Yet another joy of parenting big babies.
We’ve been out and about almost every day since I was “allowed” to after Brian’s birth. Going out with an infant and toddler doesn’t have to be terrifying.
1. Go Early. Presumably your household is up early with two little ones, so head out as soon as you can. The store will be less crowded which saves more than a few Mommy headaches.
August 18th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Toddler Drama, Infant Issues, All Parenting Articles |
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I’m a huge fan of swaddling. I didn’t realize how important it was until after Jake was two months old and beyond sleep deprived. Brian LOVES the swaddle. He wants to be swaddled in the car, in the swing, and anytime he’s on his back for more than a few minutes. 
A few notes on swaddling:
Make it tight. The tighter you swaddle, the more comfortable a baby is. It’s backwards, I know. Try though and see – just don’t do it too tight. Besides, a loose blanket in the crib can be a very bad thing
August 17th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Notes from a Real Mom, Infant Issues, All Parenting Articles |
3 comments
I’ve been obsessed with my older son’s sleep habits for awhile now. He woke up to eat at night for over two years, with a few ‘sleep through the night” breaks in between. He’s moved to the Big Boy Bed and does just fine. He’s now sleeping through the night, thankfully, but I’ve got a new issue – he takes over an hour to fall asleep at night.
I have serious help on my side. Weissbluth’s Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is my guidebook to sleep. We are slaves to naps and for almost two years had no problems with early bedtimes. Jake is still taking a three hour afternoon nap, but his nights have gotten a bit rougher.
Toddler Bedtimes
I have the toddler bedtime facts according to my expert:
August 16th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Toddler Drama, All Parenting Articles |
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I work at home. Most of the time, I’m working full-time as a teacher, too. But I’ve elected to stay home for a year with my boys and hope and pray the budget can handle it.
Of course all moms work harder than anyone who is NOT a mom can ever realize, but in addition to that mommy work, I’m also working as a freelance writer.
I started writing a while ago to build up the business in anticipation of one day doing exactly what I am doing. I’m working at home with a toddler and an infant. So far, we’re doing okay.
Working at Home with a Toddler
Obviously, working at home with kids is not easy. I’ve learned a lot in my WAHM experience.
August 15th, 2007
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I’m officially six weeks postpartum, and should be given permission to exercise at my appointment today. It’s a good darn thing – I’ve been hauling huge toddlers and infants around at the same time for weeks now.
I’ll admit it – I haven’t been waiting for permission.
I’ve griped before about how I’m going to figure out this weight loss thing, but with a full fifty (yes, 50) pounds already lost, I’m inspired. Plus I got new running shoes today which are always inspiring. This is the best they will ever smell.
August 14th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Baby Fat, All Parenting Articles |
one comment
My thoughts on today:
Tomorrow might not be a better day, but it will at least be different. (I sincerely hope.)
That’s all I have to say about that.
August 13th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Toddler Drama, Infant Issues, All Parenting Articles |
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As far as I’ve been able to discover, there is no temperature cut off for taking baby outside. That being said, I think every mom has strong feelings about the weather and her children. I live in coastal Texas and the sweltering heat starts up around March and doesn’t let up until after Halloween. As far as I’m concerned, most days are just too hot to take the baby outside.
Older children, like my toddler, can take the heat and keep on trucking. In fact, heat doesn’t seem to bother Jake at all unless the concrete burns his feet – yes, its been known to happen. Heat used to not bother me, but I swell so badly during pregnancy that the sticky Houston weather was too much for me and I haven’t built my immunity back up yet. Now, Baby Brian is only six weeks old and overheats in air conditioning wearing cotton pajamas
August 12th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Toddler Drama, Infant Issues, All Parenting Articles |
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Similac tastes better than Enfamil.
Believe it or not, I actually researched this when my older son stopped drinking his bottle around four months. You have to understand that my child LOVED to eat for a long time, but then decided to pay me back for my childhood (and adult) pickiness by refusing to take a bottle (and later being spoonfed.)
After researching the matter, I actually found people that reviewed various formulas including a taste test for their own child. I’m not brave enough to do it myself, but according to their report, Enfamil is rather grainy and Similac is smooth. While neither one is very tasty, they were able to get Similac down the hatch – Enfamil never made it past their noses
August 11th, 2007
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Rebecca |
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I enjoyed my last batch of tips so much I thought I’d do it again. Here are my 10 parenting tips for toddler tantrums.
1. Identify the cause. Is it fatigue or illness? Is he screaming about not getting a cookie? Did you take his cookie? (Understandable, but shame on you!)
August 9th, 2007
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Toddler Drama, All Parenting Articles |
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Jake is two years old. Potty training toddler boys is notoriously difficult, so I’ve decided I’m not going to. I figure Jake will one day walk up to me and tell me that the other guys on the football team are making fun of his Pull-Ups and he’s ready to try making pee-pees in the potty. Hey, I’m a laid back mommy – kind of.
Not Potty Training
So, we may not actually be potty training at my house, but we are “laying a foundation.” That means that I’ve been working on the vocabulary for about a year now and we’re starting to do fun things like wear Big Boy Underpants and dump poo-poos out of the diaper into the potty so Jake can flush them down.
August 8th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Toddler Drama, All Parenting Articles |
5 comments
Why is it that milk always seems to get stuck in the adorable creases of a baby’s neck? There is nothing worse that going to snuggle my little one and suddenly getting a nose full of sour milk smell. 
Those little creases are almost impossible to keep clean, even in the bath.
That being said, baby neck creases may be stinky sometimes, but they are part of what makes my baby so darn cute!
August 7th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Infant Issues, All Parenting Articles |
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So the last few days have been rough around my house. We’re approaching the magical Six Weeks where fussiness peaks in newborns, and I’m pretty sure Brian is trying to live up to expectations.
That being said, I’ve got a bit of experience dealing with fussy babies. My first had a mild to moderate dose of colic, and he was a real handful. If you’re trying to deal with a fussy baby, consider some of my hard earned tips:
1. Reinvent the Womb – I didn’t discover Harvey Karp’s Happiest Baby on the Block until it was almost too late.
August 6th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Infant Issues, All Parenting Articles |
one comment
As much as it hurts sometimes, I’m a big fan of tough love. I’ve been using it for years in the classroom, and I’ve had to recently start it at home. God Bless Toddlers.
That being said, through the Fair Review Project, I recently “met” another working woman online who seems to specialize in tough love. Not only that, she “gets” toddlers. I love working online, especially in the webmaster community. There is so much to learn and so many interesting folks to meet.
Now, she’ll probably blow off my little post
August 4th, 2007
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Rebecca |
Toddler Drama, All Parenting Articles |
2 comments
We all have them. As hard as we try to follow all the parenting advice out there, we know we aren’t perfect Mommies. In fact, there is no such thing. There is always something we can do better.
Of course I don’t lie awake at night thinking of my shortcomings. In fact, I don’t lie awake at night at all unless I’m being paged by one boy or the other. But there are things I think about occasionally that I wish I had done or simply admire in those who do.
Pro-Environment Parenting
I am bad for the environment.
August 3rd, 2007
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Rebecca |
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Nobody understands how stressful motherhood is until you’re actively engaged in it. Somehow having a two-year-old and a one-month-old is far more stressful on a day-to-day basis than any of my other jobs (including consulting with one of the Big Five or teaching delinquent eighth graders. – I love the eighth graders, hated the consulting.)
Having two kids has made me tense and leaves me very little time to do anything about it. Here it is, ten o’clock at night, and I’ve got my first break of the day.
August 1st, 2007
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Rebecca |
All Parenting Articles |
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