Friday, October 28, 2016

7QT: Enfamil, Basketball Drills, and Family Mills (I mean Meals)

UPDATED: Winner is Tricia!  I'll email you soon, congrats!

Linking up with Kelly, as usual!  See the 2nd post if you want to win a gift card for FIFTY BUCKS!!

1)

I really dislike pumping.  I am so amazed at the moms who do this for any extended period of time, as every single pumping session I have is like a taste of purgatory for me.  But, I know I'm lucky I can produce breastmilk at all and that whatever I can squeeze out is good for Brendan, so I do it for as long as I can.  That being said, I am not opposed even the tiniest bit to using formula.  Brendan eats all the breastmilk I can express from the day before and then fills up on formula for the rest of his feedings until we're home together.  The most important thing is that baby gets nourished and grows, not about any mommy wars.  We're all just doing the best we can!  Phil bought this container of Enfamil when Brendan was born and here we are 10 weeks later just finishing up the last of it.



We will have to order more soon, though I think we are switching to this brand after doing much research (aka talking to friends who do all the research!).

2)

Speaking of baby formula, how would you like to win a $50 gift card to buy some baby goodies from Diapers.com?  Just leave a comment in the post about the best tip you have when it comes to baby feeding, and I'll pick a winner on November 6th!!


3)

Alexander still reigns in this house with making us laugh the most, though Declan is becoming a comedic master as well.  The other day we were watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse from an old DVD.  I saw that there were only 3 mouskatools instead of the four mouskatools that are on the current episodes and asked Xander about it.

If you have no clue what I'm talking about, then thank your lucky stars.

He said, "Oh, yeah, this show is from like 1968, so there were only three mouskatools back then."

Well, that explains it.

4)

Phil and I have been killing it in the dinner game recently.  We make a meal plan on Friday nights (wow how our Friday night plans have changed!) and then create our shopping list from it (sometimes I even look at the circulars to see whats on sale!) and hit the grocery store on Sat morning.  Soooooo basically we are finally acting like responsible adults instead of stressing every afternoon about what we can whip up for dinner.  I'm sure you all already do this, but it's new to us and I love the results.  Plus every kid likes knowing what's on the menu and giving their two cents while we're in the planning stages.  We've made the following delicious meals lately:

Lemon Chicken (with rice and roasted cauliflower)




Weeknight Chili (with veggies and dip) 

Pasta w/ Prosciutto & Peas (but replaced some of the cream with chicken broth to lighten it up)

Maple Roast Pork (with baked potatoes and green beans)

5)

Do you want to hear our basketball saga?  No?  Then move onto numero six.  Otherwise, here we go.

  Andrew and Eamon are in 6th and 4th grades respectively.  That means this year they could both play on the same CYO basketball team.  We were looking forward to the simplicity of life that would bring us this winter (the season actually runs from November through March).  We just found out last week that their CYO team had neither a coach nor enough players and it might be cancelled.  Phil was asked to be the coach but he said no due to the fact that we will also have Maggie on a basketball team and Maggie & Xander in swim lessons this winter so he couldn't commit to certain days/times.  

The boys were devastated that they might not be able to play basketball and asked if they could play for the town league that Eamon played for last year.  I did some searching and emailing and pleading and discovered that the 6th grade tryouts were that night but the 4th grade tryouts had already happened.  We were told Andrew had to come to tryouts or he couldn't play and Eamon might be able to be placed on a team since he had played last year for this league.  

Of course the night of tryouts was also the night of Parent Teacher conferences for Phil, so I schlepped all 7 kids out to a 1.5 hour tryout in the hottest sweatiest most crowded gym you can imagine.  Brendan slept for the whole time in the carrier (well, he may have just passed out from the heat, but either way he was quiet!) and JP was such a huge help to me by taking the littles out to the playground until it got too dark.  Ninety 5th and 6th grade boys tried out and about 10 coaches were their watching their every move, taking notes, it was so intense!  

Andrew and Eamon were placed on town teams and we were crossing our fingers that CYO would be cancelled.  But alas, it looks like they've found a coach and are working on getting more players.  We can't pull them off the CYO team because then we would be the reason the other boys couldn't play.  And after we asked the town league directors to jump through hoops (ha, hoops) to get our boys on teams, we can't pull them out there either.  So I think we will now have 3 basketball teams between Andrew & Eamon when we could have only had one.  I must have done something to upset the basketball fairies.



6)

Aren't you glad you skipped straight to number 6?  Smart move.  This one's a freebie because 5 was too long and whiny.  Here's an All Saints Day photo from last year:


This year will look very similar because new family member = old costumes.

7)

I can't believe it's Halloweekend already!!  We have a Halloween dance at the kids school tonight with a haunted stage that the 8th graders work so hard on to fundraise money for their big events.  I have no idea what it's going to look like but JP has been gathering sticks to bring in.  Tomorrow night is my family's October birthday party celebration complete with Halloween costumes.  And then Monday is the Halloween parade in a nearby town and trick or treating after. 

Halloween 2015, when I had my stuff together

Then Mom and Dad get to pick out all the best candy for themselves and throw the rest in a huge bowl which becomes family dessert for the month of November :)

Have a spooky fun-filled, raking leaves, meal planning, weekend everybody!

(Don't forget to leave a comment about baby feeding tips to win a $50 gift card!)

44 comments:

  1. If you're breastfeeding, remember to bring the baby to the breast and not hunch over to get to the baby. Much happier for all involved.

    If you're bottle feeding, wash all the little parts and put them off separately to dry. (My husband would wash them first , which was nice, but then they'd be buried under piles of pots and cups. It was like playing Jenga to get a nipple out when I was in a rush.)

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    1. I definitely still hunch...need to work on that!

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  2. I exclusively pumped for 11 months with my first child. My primary advice would be to CHILL OUT! Fed is best. I have some regrets about the time and energy I invested in getting him breastmilk. Our second is due to arrive shortly and I have great hopes to breastfeed, but I'll be much more chill about it. On a practical advice side, if you are pumping, get a good hands free pumping bra and store your pump parts in a cooler/fridge so you don't have to wash them between sessions.

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    1. That fridge idea is brilliant! Washing your pump a million times a day is the worst!

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    2. Ha ha, I'm nursing right now! I try to breastfeed my babies but sooner or later, my body just can't keep up and I don't produce enough. I'm not opposed to formula but I hate buying it. Free is my favorite price, after all. This time I preemptively started pumping for 5 minutes after each feed starting when the baby was a few weeks old. The sessions were short enough not to be so annoying, and when my milk supply started to wane we still had 2 months' worth in the freezer so I could put off buying formula.

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  3. I always got the most milk from pumping when I could see my baby at the same time. Obviously in person was best, but pictures and videos of him helped too.

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  4. I've only had one kiddo so far but when I talk to new moms about feeding baby, I just try to remind them that relaxed moms are a lot better at feeding/nursing than stressed ones -- which is what I was at the beginning! :) But I don't have tons of experience yet so we'll see how that advice changes when baby 2 gets here.

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  5. New follower here with a 3 month old :) Due to low milk supply I have to supplement as well with donor breastmilk. At first I was a little hesitant, but I've met some wonderful moms with oversupply who are so happy to donate their extra milk. I'm not sure where you're located, but there's a Human Milk 4 Human Babies Facebook page for each state that helps connect moms!

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  6. Best baby feeding advice? Co-sleeping at night was the only way I got any sleep at all, and it ensured that the baby was fed on demand whenever needed. Learned that with my second child after not sleeping at all with my first child. Because, sometimes, we have to do what is best for our family (not strangling my children because I'm running on no sleep is surely best for my family) instead of what the doctors say in order to survive. No mommy wars here! :)

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  7. My best breastfeeding tip is to nurse a newborn everytime the baby opens his/her mouth or give any cues to breastfeed whatsoever.....even if it's only been 20 minutes. Don't worry about the clock or the time at all. That type of intense feeding doesn't last forever, and it really helps get milk supply established. For pumping/bottle feeding my best tip is to used 'paced bottlefeeding' as it helps prevent someone from overfeeding (or underfeeding) a baby with the bottle.

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  8. My best feeding advice is buying a cheap little fridge to put in your bedroom for the middle of the night pumping and feedings! It made it easier for us. Not having to go downstairs to get milk/store pumped milk/wash pump parts. And there is no reason milk needs to be warmed up. It's just a preference. If you can train 'em young to take it cold it makes it easier! (Obviously if you're EBF this advice is moot.) Your basketball saga is my purgatory. I loathe the sound of basketball. (The bouncing/yelling/squeaking shoes) 3 teams would make me sob.

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    1. We never thought of giving bottles cold until we saw friends of ours doing it like a year ago and our minds were blown!!

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  9. I have been able to breastfeed my 7, and sometimes it's hard to want to make time to sit and breastfeed, but I really think it's God's way of saying take a break, rest and interact with this baby for a while.

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  10. My best baby feeding tip is to remember that each baby is different and what worked for one might not work for another
    ... Or for that stage of life.

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  11. Freeze bags of breast milk flat so it stores easier in the freezer.

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  12. My advice: - a fed baby is a happy baby. However they get fed, is between momma and baby. I am a pumper while at work, & BF'er at night.

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  13. Ha! My best feeding advice is just to make sure they are fed! But seriously, I think the best thing I have ever done is always, not matter how much the baby nursed the night before, is to pump in the morning after baby's first meal. It kept up my milk production and I would have enough for a bottle around in case I needed to leave the baby with a sitter.

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  14. I feel like an imposter writing a tip since my first babe is only two days older than your Brendan! I've learned to stop watching the clock and just feed her whenever she wants. Now instead of planning our lives around feeding her exactly every two joirs, we just live life and nurse when neveccsar, wherever we are. I also stopped caring about nursing in public - we have a nursing cover and it really doesn't need to be a big production like i feared it would be!

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  15. There is no way we would ever eat if I didn't do a meal plan weekly. And THREE basketball teams??? I seriously don't know how you are going to be able to do that. But, if any family can get it organized and done, it would be you and Phil!! It looks like you guys have a great weekend planned. Enjoy!

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  16. I'm with you on hating pumping! I just never responded well to it.

    Honestly my best tip was getting glass bottles. They were relatively cheap and have had 4 years of continuous use and still going strong! My babies love their milk cold (they're weird like that) and the glass bottles helped keep it from warming up too fast.

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  17. I just found out I am expecting #9. My oldest is 13 so I've been at this whole infant feeding thing for some time and I'm still learning! I always try to breastfeed but always end up supplementing with formula. My best tip would be Playtex drop in bottle system when they are newborns/young infants. Bonus tip: if you use powdered formula and mix the formula in the bottle,just squeeze the bottle nipple when shaking to prevent formula from leaking out.

    Jenny

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  18. LOL! I was SO confused why all these moms were giving you breastfeeding advice when you've nursed 7 kids. Then I scrolled up and saw the giveaway. (Seriously, I was getting super offended for you. Haha!)

    Okay, my best advice is just especially for you, because I would tell new moms something different. But for you, I would say do your best to nurse Brendan whenever you're near him, -but don't stress about giving formula. Which basically what you're doing, so high five. :)

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  19. Tip-- don't bounce the baby right after she eats. Seems like something easy to remember, but with lots of older siblings it can be tricky to let the baby just work on digesting before stirring things up.

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  20. Tip-don't be in a rush to move baby up to the bottle nipple with the larger opening.

    Basketball-That sounds horrible. Are you sure you are committed to the town "try-out" league? It might be karma for laughing when the coach asked you guys to join a travel soccer team. I hope it all works out and everyone love all of their winter activities.

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  21. My best baby feeding tip is to learn how to nurse while laying down! It took me 3 babies to really figure it out and was such a help on those long nights with a nursing baby.

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  22. My best feeding tip is to focus on relaxing at the first of each breastfeeding session (and pumping session too). It helped my milk let down more easily and helped make it a more calm and pleasant experience for me and for my boys. Also, when the afterpains/cramping hurt while nursing, trying to relax and not tense up helped me (really similar to not tensing up during labor contractions, now that I think of it).

    Also, my boys sometimes had trouble burping, and running a few fingers gently up the middle of the baby's back (near the spine) seemed to help loosen the burps without all the thumping that made their giant heads wobble :)

    Stephanieazollinger (at) gmail.com

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  23. I've EBF all 6 of my babies (current baby is exactly 1 week less than your Brendan), so I don't really have any pumping advice. But, I've had my share of mastitis episodes (this time, when baby we only 2 weeks old). I've recently started taking sunflower lecithin pills to make my breast milk less "sticky" and hopefully I won't have to deal with mastitis again (praying it works). I had never heard of this before this baby, so I guess there is always something new to learn!

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    1. I had a lot of issues with clogged ducts when pumping and lecithin made a huge difference. I hope it works for you!!

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    2. Oh, that's great to hear! I'm glad it helped you!

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  24. I pumped 2-4 times a day for 18 months with my last baby.

    My favorite pumping tip is to use, not fight, the time. I used it to pray for my daughter and read scripture. This also kept me calm and thankful.

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  25. I guess my best feeding tip would also have to be to learn to nurse laying down. I've gotten so much rest this way!

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  26. The card would be great.

    I suggest smart night nursing. Side nursing at night plus lactation cookies as a midnight snack all help get a great supply and with sleep.

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  27. My best advice was nothing at all like any of the above. I bought a Twilight Turtle and it gives off the perfect amount of light for nighttime feedings without waking up anyone else in the room. Also, it has a 45 minute timer so you know if you feed, change, and get baby back to bed while the turtle is still on, you haven't even used up 45 minutes. It was great for those type As like me who really needed to have an idea how much time I was spending. And, as a bonus - it doubles as a nightlight for the preschool set!

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  28. I also wanted to add that I don't think you have to feel obligated to the 2 town basketball teams. If you were looking forward to a less busy schedule with the one team, then just do that one. Don't feel guilted into the 3 teams. Do what is best for your family!

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  29. My best feeding tip is this - try to make the breast work as long as you can and then don't have any mom guilt about needing to supplement or use formula for all feedings. I exclusively breast-fed my first 7 babies for over a year each and then...#8 was a bugger. After working with lactation consultants and spending hours and hours pumping...he figured it out and breast fed for a year. Then, #9 had "insufficient suction" and we tried, and tried, and tried, and she just couldn't do it. So, after 5 months, I gave up and have been formula feeding her. And, guess what? It's going remarkably well!
    Sorry for the wordy-ness, but in this "breast is best" culture, formula moms tend to be looked down upon. Ahhh-hemmmm....I may have once been one of those moms who just didn't understand why the world didn't breastfeed. Sincerely humbled - now I get it!

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  30. I heard this once and it forever changed my way of thinking about feeding babies. "Tube, bottle, or breast, turns out fed is best." I have several friends with kids who need feeding tubes and the moms would love to do more for them but can't.

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  31. Create a nursing/feeding basket. Assign a kid to the duty of making sure that it is always stocked and at your side when you sit to feed baby. Here are some of the items that I include in my basket/bag:
    Water bottle
    Chapstick
    Protein rich snack
    Essential oil roller to help me relax
    Notebook and pen
    Spiritual read
    Leisure read

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  32. My bottle feeding tip- fill bottles with water before you go to bed so all you have to do in the middle of the night is dump in formula and shake! And most babies are fine with room temp water so skip the bottle warmer madness if you can!
    As a mama of a preemie who was tube fed, another preemie where I just didn't produce milk and now our adopted son, I'm a wholehearted believer that FED is best. My pediatrician has always told me when my kids are walking down the street no one can tell if they were formula or breastfed!

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  33. Nursing basket for the angry toddler whom the baby has dethroned. Only comes down when it's time to nurse, and keeps the angry elder heir preoccupied with goldfish, dollar store toys and window clings, etc. while you and new baby are learning how to nurse.

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  34. Nursing while lying down/ cosleeping saved our nursing relationship. Sleep deprivation was so so hard at first. Now that I'm back at work, I try to look forward to pumping sessions as a break, and I use the time to read the news/ browse for Christmas gift ideas/ say the rosary. Thinking about trying freemie to make pumping more hands free.

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  35. Don't nurse your baby to sleep. It is important they learn how to fall asleep on their own.

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  36. I'm sure these tips have been mentioned but- buy a big jug to keep filled with water during the first several pp weeks, and invest in good nursing bras (and try to remember to re-snap the cups after feedings😉).

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  37. Brea TrendowskiNovember 06, 2016

    Relax. When I'm tense I find I don't get as much milk. However, when I take a deep breath and just relax I feel like the milk starts flowing. Liquid gold baby.

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