Wednesday, December 19, 2012

3 Months Old - Dear Cash + moving!

Wow, its certainly been a while since I've made a post! We've just been soooo busy. With what, you ask? Moving! Packing! Preparing for our trip to Edmonton! Wrapping! haha. And of course, taking care of the little man.


So this picture is just about 2 weeks overdue.. he was officially twelve weeks old on Saturday, December 8! Wow.. I can't believe it. He's considered to be out of "The Fourth Trimester" now.


Dear Cash,
Here's a little bit about your last month...
- You started out the month sleeping like a champ! Last month, you were sleeping in your crib for 4-5 hours straight before waking up to be fed. We continued with our same bed time routine and you stretched that first portion of sleep to 6-7 hours, waking up around 2 am to nurse and join us in our bed. 
THEN you shocked me by sleeping until 5 am before wanting to eat! And you did this for almost two weeks straight. It was amazing.
And without warning, that completely disappeared. We would do our regular bedtime routine - I'd nurse you in your dimly lit bedroom, dad would rock you to sleep, then lay you in your crib - but you suddenly decided you don't like to sleep in your crib! You'd wake up either immediately after being laid down, or within 10 minutes.. and we'd try putting you down at least 3 more times with no luck. So you end up spending the whole night in our bed.
I've bought a book called "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley that is highly raved about, and have been studying up on ways to help you sleep.. but we won't implement anything until after we're home from Christmas and are settled in the new house. 
Atleast you are a pretty good sleeper in our bed! You nurse probably three times throughout the night.. I don't know exactly, cuz I barely even wake up!
- You are so curious about everything! You study everything around you very intently and notice when things have been moved (like your favourite picture).
- We sing you "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider". You love them both
- A sure-fire way to make you smile is to touch your face
- You have become more content sitting on your own for a little while, so mom can have a quick shower or eat dinner without you crying to be held

You've really been a champ during this whole moving process. At the new house, we lay you on top of a blanket in the living room and you babble away at the ceiling fan while we unpack.

Love Mama








And other exciting-ness... the new house!



We've moved most of our stuff in already (and unpacked it!) and will finish up the weekend we get back from Edmonton. I will share more pictures then.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

2 Months Old - Dear Cash


Dear Cash,

You've grown so much in this last month! You've gained 3 whole lbs, and are definitely longer. On October 25th, you showed us your first intentional smiles. You don't really understand when we tickle your ribs or feet (you definitely squirm though!). The thing that really gets your smiles going is kisses! You light up when we kiss your face or squish your chin. And sometimes you'll be starring at a particular picture and randomly start smiling at it. You haven't started laughing yet, but you try really, really hard! It's almost there.. I bet it'll be just a couple more weeks before you master your giggles.

You've thrown our napping "routine" out the window in the last couple weeks. You used to nap for a good 1.5 hours either in the laundry basket or in your crib at least once a day.. typically it was for your first nap (between 9:30 and 10:30). You've never been good at having your second nap alone.. I've always resorted to putting you in the sling to sleep during the afternoon.

Now, it's rare that you'll stay sleeping in your crib/laundry basket! You wake up after 15-20 minutes, I calm you down, put you back to bed.. and you're awake again. Eventually I just transfer you into the sling. I figure that it's more important for you to get your sleep than it is for me to have my hands free. I'm sure this is just part of the "fourth trimester" and you'll grow out of it.

What's really weird, is that you sleep just fine in the crib for a portion of the night! Our bedtime routine seems to be working really well...

Around 7 pm, I take you upstairs, change you, and nurse you in your dimly-lit room. You fall asleep while eating. Then Dad comes in and reads you a book (even though you're asleep) and rocks you for 15-20 minutes. I turn on the radio to static (for some white noise), Dad lays you in your crib and turns off the light. Sometimes you open your eyes when he puts you down, but you usually go right back to sleep. There have been a couple nights where, within 20 minutes, you've started crying. One of us rocks you back to sleep and lays you down, and you're good to go. I'd say 5-6 nights a week, you sleep for 4-5 hours straight! Then you half wake up cuz you're hungry. I change your diaper, bring you to our bed for the rest of the night, and feed you. You go right back to sleep, and half-wake up to be fed 2-3 more times during the night. You never cry, and never have any issues going right back to sleep. So why is sleeping during the day so hard?? The only thing I can think of, is that you're really starting to notice your surroundings, so it's hard to shut your mind off during the day. At night, it's pitch black in your room so there's nothing interesting to look at!



Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!!!




we got this onesie/bib at winners last february - for a whole 60¢!!!
  
We'll be staying cozy in our home, handing out candy this year. Cash is too young to trick or treat.. Next year, for sure! (Then I wouldn't feel so guilty using him to get candy haha)

We hope everyone has a fabulous (I mean spooky) holiday!

i smile now

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Today.

There are only so many minutes during the day where I have the opportunity to do something. "Something" that requires Cash to not be in my arms. I usually have a window around 11 am when Cash has his first nap. It will last long enough for a shower and MAYBE time to blow-dry my hair before he wakes up.

Today I gave up doing my hair and make-up so that I could get some laundry done that has been put off for  a week now.

And then later, I joined my baby boy for a cuddle session on the couch. Sometimes I get too focused on the fact that Cash literally needs me all day long, leaving little time to get anything done. But then moments like this remind me of what a special role a mom has in the lives of their little ones. It's very special that he finds so much comfort from me.

Perspective is everything.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

1 Month Old - Dear Cash



My sweet baby boy,

You're one month old already! Where has the time gone..
We've noticed some big changes in you during this first month; you've become much more alert, you notice our faces alittle more and even get a small twinkle in your eye when you see us. As the weeks go on, you put on a little more chub.. I notice it in your cheeks and your thighs. You're still a skinny little guy though! In the last two weeks, you've managed to hold your head up a little longer every day. It's still a little unsteady and your head comes crashing down sometimes, but we're working on it.

You seem to enjoy having a blanket hovering over your face when trying to fall asleep. As soon as you're covered, you are out like a light. (Yes, we know this could be a potential hazard, but the blanket is never against your face and it's only when you sleep on one of us)

Usually you love to be swaddled in a light blanket.. But never with your arms tucked in!

One of your favourite ways to sleep at night is in my nook, tucked under my arm. If you get a little fussy and wiggly during the night, I pull you in close. And if you're sleeping between us, I'll typically find you on your right side, facing me! I love your peaceful face while sleeping

Dad gets to hold you pretty much all evening once he goes home from work. You especially like laying on his chest

Sometimes you're able to direct your fist toward your mouth, and practice sucking on your fingers.. or more often, the side of your wrist. However, when you get really upset, it's difficult to find the coordination and usually you just end up flailing your arms around.

Occasionally we'll let you cry a minute longer than we should.. you just look sooo cute when you stick that bottom lip out as far as it will go

So far, I think you've been a pretty content baby! If you cry, it usually occurs when we're driving and can't reach back to comfort you, or it's when you're sleeping in the stroller and we stop moving for too long. I think you're developing a bit of a sleep routine.. In the last week, you have been settling down and falling asleep between 7 pm and 8 pm and will sleep until at least 9:30. Then you wake up two or three times during the night to eat. You typically go right back to sleep though! We've only had one bad night so far.

I can't get over how adorable you are. And I love learning more about your secret language and what you're trying to tell me when you need something. Our days go by so quickly! One minute, we're just waking up, then before I know it, Dad's walking in the door.

You're the best.
xoxo
Mama

Words from Garrick...
"Cash,
I didn't think it was possible to love something the way I love you. I never want to let go of you or stop looking at you. I can not wait to watch you grow and experience all the wonderful things that children get to experience growing up with their dad... skating, camping, swimming and just being a little boy with his dad by his side. I can't believe how cute you are. You are so cute. I love kissing you and watching you make faces.

Love,
Daddy"

Sunday, October 14, 2012

So far so good

It's currently 1:20 am and Cash is having his first middle of the night feeding. And there hasn't been any crying so far...

Which is how it always is.. Except for last night.

Last night, he slept from 7:30 pm til 9:30 pm, then woke up in his usual manner to be fed. Usually he just kind of whimpers and "talks", I notice he's rooting around, I feed him, he's happy and goes back to sleep quickly. So this time, I fed him, he fell asleep.. Then I went to lay him back down between us, and he starts to cry. And not just his little whimpering, it was full out.. As if I had been ignoring his small cries for half an hour.

The only thing that would console him was to nurse more. He wanted to nurse literally every hour for at least half an hour at a time, I'd lay him down after, and he'd sometimes sleep for twenty minutes then wake up screaming and crying all of a sudden with no warning. This is very unusual for him! So we didn't get much sleep.

We spent the day walking around Kelowna with Cash in the stroller, which put him to sleep. He slept pretty much the entire afternoon (wish I could do that) other than waking up to be fed once and have a diaper change. I was a little worried he'd be up all night after all his napping, so I tried to keep him stimulated and awake during the evening.

He slept from 9:30 til 1:30, whimpered., I've fed him, will change his diaper, and I think he'll go right back to sleep. Perfect. I think I ate something last night that gave him digestive issues. Whoops.
Daddy always insists on pushing the stroller



All cozied up in the stroller

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Week Three

My mom left Thursday and Garrick's mom arrived Sunday to spend the week with us. Most of the time we stuck around home, but did make a few trips out. We walked to the store down the street, had an appointment with Sylvia, and a hearing test at the health unit. Sylvia weighed Cash at 6 lbs, 11 oz and said he was right on track for weight gain (babies should gain 0.5-1.0 oz per day (I weighed him 4 days later and he was 7 lbs 3 oz!). He also passed his hearing test (after he stopped crying).

cuddles with Grandma
Cathy made us many delicious things, including a Thanksgiving dinner on Friday! Here's a group shot before we sat down to eat.


Cash got into the habit of demanding to be fed right when I would sit down for dinner. Thanksgiving was no different! lol. I did get through about 80% of my meal before he started squacking, so that was an improvement, I suppose.

As for my recovery and progress: everything is pretty good for me, other than my tailbone; it has always hurt (since labour, that is), but has been noticeably worse since I ran out of arnica after the first week, and the pain hasn't decreased at all. I've bought more arnica, so hopefully that helps.

Breast feeding has been going remarkably well. Despite Sylvia originally thinking he wasn't latching on properly, I haven't experienced pain at any point! We've definitely gotten better in the last couple weeks, even though it never was an issue to begin with. So far I've managed to avoid any engorgement or clogged ducts. Fingers crossed!

This past week, Cash and I seem to have established somewhat of a morning routine. When Garrick's first alarm goes off, he takes Cash from me and cuddles him til the second alarm. Then he tucks Cash back in next to me. Around 7:30, Garrick says good-bye and we continue sleeping. Between 8 and 8:30, he decides he's hungry. I would feed him, then take him downstairs to Grandma so I could make the bed, brush my teeth, etc. we'll see if this sleep pattern continues, and develops into a steady daytime routine.


During week three, Cash seemed to become much more aware of our faces. He would sit and actually study faces.. looking at Daddy's beard and mouth, then his eyes would move up to his glasses, and down to his shirt. And I swear, one day after being upstairs for a little while, I came back downstairs and actually saw his face light up a bit when he saw me.

Now we're beginning the fourth week, and it will be just the two of us during the day. I absolutely loved all the company and help for the last few weeks. Now I look forward to establishing somewhat of a daily routine, including a few of my house-wifely duties.

We're beginning to establish a bed time routine for the little guy. Since he sleeps with us, he would usually go to bed at the same time as us.. And typically, we go to bed pretty early, then watch some tv. However, when we have company, we stay up a little later. I began to notice him getting extra fussy past 8 pm, and on Saturday night, when it was just the three of us, he fell asleep in my arms at around 7. This is my plan:
Get him in the habit of going to bed by 8 pm, and spending the block of sleep in his crib (he's been taking a few naps there as well). When he wakes up for his first feed (Saturday it was around 9:30) I'll bring him back to bed for the night. As he grows, he'll sleep for longer stretches, needing less feelings, therefore spending more time in his crib while sleeping. I think it will make the easiest transition on him.
So back to Saturday night: he lasted 15 minutes or so before waking up crying. I rocked him back to sleep in his room and put him back in the crib. Another 20 minutes and he woke up crying again.. And again, I rocked him to sleep and put him back. That time he lasted over an hour! Success.

I think it's important not only him,but for Garrick and I, that Cash gets in the habit of going to bed earlier. This gives the hubs and I some time to reconnect and talk about things other than how we make darn cute babies.

Week Two

If you missed "Week One", click here


On Sunday, we picked my mom up from the airport. She spent 4 wonderful nights with us and helped me out during the day, as Garrick returned to work this week. We kept it pretty low-key and spent most of the time in the living room relaxing. We also took a few newborn photos and foot imprints! It made me more comfortable to leave Cash and go shower, etc. knowing there was someone else holding and rocking him.

meeting Gramz

Cash's belly button stump fell off on Monday. It never grossed me out until it was only hanging on by a thread. Sick. He became more and more alert throughout the week, and the skin on his little hands, wrists, ankles, and feet was incredibly dry! I applied coconut oil religiously to remedy the dryness. He still wasn't fitting into most of his clothes. Gramz bought a couple christmas jammies that we shrunk.. they fit better than most outfits!

I attempted to switch him from disposable to cloth diapers after the stump fell off, but his little legs are so skinny that there are gaps! And this caused a whole lot of leakage, so it was back to the disposables :(

Garrick's dad and stepmom also visited for a few nights. They brought a bunch of gifts for Cash, including a beautifully home-made diaper bag, and this super cute knit zip-up hoodie.

meeting Grandma Kathi (Grandpa had a cold, so he didn't hold Cash)

Thursday we took mom back to the airport. I was certainly sad to see her leave! It's nice having your mom around to ask questions and stuff.

one picture from our photo shoot
We really wanted to take some newborn photos.. you know, the cute, peaceful looking ones where the baby is sleeping. Well. This was the day that Cash refused to sleep!

At one point while he was laying on the floor, he pulled the blanket down over his face, made a funny "laughing" sound, and half fell asleep. We thought it was his way of saying he was done having his picture taken.. and it was hilarious.

Week One


We are at the end of Cash's third week of life "on the outside" already! I had braced myself for time to go by as quickly as everyone always says it will, but nothing can really prepare you for it.

Week One
first picture of cash. proof for everyone that we really did have a baby that night!

day 2


Garrick took the week off work and was SO helpful. He cooked dinner (as usual), did laundry for me, brought me whatever I needed, took Cash outside in the sun to help with the jaundice, and many other things. I actually teared up a bit thinking about him returning to work.. not because I was going to miss him waiting on me, but because I was going to miss his company.

The very first day as a family of three was spent in our big bed. We watched tv and oohed and aahed over our new little boy. I nursed, Garrick cuddled him, and even did a few diaper changes with no protest! I was mostly able to stay in bed and recover.


day 2 - garrick and his two boys


day 2


day 2



Sylvia visited three times in the first week, to make sure I was healing properly and that Cash was nursing well. She is so attentive and wonderful! Cash was a bit jaundiced, so we spent at least one hour a day outside with him in the sun, and made sure we were in a natural-lit room whenever inside.

We made four trips out of the house with Cash in that first week. Just small trips to start, then a big grocery shop. I carried him in the sling and he slept quietly the entire time! Some trips were a little strenuous on me, but... Oops.


first trip out of the house - 4 days old

The first few days were really stressful for me. Being a breast fed baby, Cash lost 9% of his birth weight within the first couple days (which I found out afterwards this is typical - you don't want them to lose more than 10% though) so I was very paranoid about him not getting enough to eat.. And to top that off, the jaundice made him super sleepy ALL the time and was nearly impossible to wake up and nurse. And even when we COULD wake him up, he'd fall asleep within minutes of latching on. But as the days went by, he became gradually more alert and interested in nursing.. And by Thursday, when Sylvia came again, he was already close to his birth weight.
five days old

catching some rays to help with the jaundice
pumpkin face

i just had a big boy bath with daddy!
we survived our first week as a family of three!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Proper Introduction

Cash Dillinger Kopiak
Born in our home on September 15, 2012 @ 6:31 pm
6 lbs 4 oz & 20 inches long

(i have a birth announcement that i made, but i can't post it until it's mailed to everyone!)



Monday, September 24, 2012

39 Weeks

Well, we almost made it to 39 weeks, anyway! Sunday, September 16 would have been 39 weeks.. this photo was taken the day before.

The week leading up to Cash's birth was full of natural induction techniques. I had a total of four acupuncture sessions, drank lots of Nine Month tea, bounced on the birthing ball, took evening primrose oil every night, went for long walks... Friday night, we did the "Stairway to Hell" as it's called, and walked a total of 4.5 km through a hilly neighbourhood (we drove the jeep on our path afterwards to see just how far it was lol). Every evening, between 7:30 and 8:30 pm, very mild contractions would start and continue on into the night, occassionally waking me up. By morning they were gone. Saturday was different though...

Here is the one photo of the three of us from Cash's birthday, taken minutes after he was born. We were way too enthralled in the day's events to take more pictures.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Recent Recipes

As I'm sure lots of you know, I'm super addicted to Pinterest. Like.. when I don't have anything else to do during the day, or Hubs is watching a show I'm not very interested in, "hmm, i'll check out Pinterest!". It never gets boring. Okay.. there's some repeat pins here or there.. but for the most part, there's always something interesting to find!

This has led to many, many new recipes to try out. So here a couple we've made in the last little while:


Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes - We actually made these back in the spring. They turned out really good! Except I'm not the biggest fan of Oreos.. but Garrick is, and he absolutely loved them. They're great because they're already in individual portions.. and you can even freeze some so none go to waste!


Easy Thai Coconut Soup - This one was... decent. It was similar to what you'd get in an authentic Thai restaurant, but quite watery. Garrick described it perfectly, saying that "you have to really search for 'that' flavour". I'd give it 3/5 stars.

We also made coconut rice to put in the soup (we made up our own recipe using regular white rice, a can of coconut milk, a little bit of water, and a touch of salt). It turned out pretty good, but was waaaay better the next day. We decided next time we attempt the soup/rice combo, we'll make the rice the day before so the flavours have time to infuse.


Quinoa Stuffed Peppers - These were REALLY good. We were looking for something to do with quinoa, since it's soo packed with protein and all around goodness, but sucks to eat just plain (like how you would eat rice). The quinoa filling reminded me of chili.. except without the meat! I think I'd even prefer it on it's own, not in the pepper. We used red peppers, perhaps I'd enjoy a different kind of pepper more. Also, it makes A LOT of the quinoa filling. we have a decent sized tub in the freezer. I'd give it.... 4/5 stars.


Cucumber Salad - Mediocre. Except a major contributor to my failure with this may have been that I accidentally bought vanilla greek yogurt instead of plain. woops. I wasn't inspired enough to ever make it again though.


Jalapeno Popper Chicken - WOW. this was absolutely. delicious. We've actually made it twice in the last month or so. You MUST try this!!!!! And you could also use the jalapeno/cheese stuffing for practically anything else.. dip for crackers, etc. It's sooooooo good. definitely 5/5 stars


Egg in a Ham Cup - We made this one on the weekend! It was another reaaaallly good meal. A bonus that it's low carb! And apparently only 100 calories. We made it with regular marble cheese.. and we only made 6 instead of 12. The recipe says to bake for 12 minutes.. we had ours in for 20 cuz they just didn't seem ready! 18 minutes probably would have done the trick, the yolk turned out not quite this runny, but not over-cooked. another 5/5 stars

What's next?

Soon, we'd like to try:

Cauliflower Pizza Crusts for home made pizzas
Zucchini Brownies
Spaghetti Squash Baked "Pasta"
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
Homemade Bread in the Crock Pot *gasp*