New Food, Medicine, Hats and Schedule

We started Logan on solids a few weeks ago right when he turned four months. Because of his reflux his doctor recommended we jump right into that. Logan caught on really fast. It took him a week to be really excited about eating it. He hates the rice cereal. We have tried everything--adding apple juice, breastmilk, thinning it, etc.-but nothing seems to make it better. Once I could tell he was catching on to how to eat I decided to introduce him to some peaches. Logan LOVES peaches. We tried mixing his rice cereal with peaches but he wants nothing to do with that. If you put rice cereal in his mouth he makes a funny gagging face, spits it out and then cries. If you then give him a spoon full of peaches, he eats it and makes "yum" sounds. We are going to try Oatmeal next to see if he likes that better. Is it normal for babies to not like rice cereal? What else can we do to get him to like it?

Like every baby, Logan gets quite messy while eating. He gets so excited about his peaches he kicks his legs up and down. He can eat a lot too. He will eat 2 ounces of cereal and 4 ounces or peaches at night time. We have also introduced him to sweet potoates which he seems to be enjoying. Has anyone out there made their own baby food? I just started buying the jars, not really thinking much about it. But then I got to thinking that I could probably make most of this food for cheaper than you can buy it in the indiviual jars. I have been looking online for a small baby food processor and for some recipes but wanted some feedbacks from experienced moms. Let me know what you have done.

Logan is starting to get some more hair on the top of his head. It is very blonde so you can only see it in certain lights. Logan's favorite things right now are the remote control, the ceiling fan and his dinosaur. I will put him in the middle of our bed in the morning when I am getting ready and he will just stare at the fan. If we are sitting on the couch and he catches a glimpse of the remote he will just stop and stare at that as well. I think he must have gotten this from his dad.

Logan has now been put on Prevacid instead of Zantac for his reflux. It seems to be doing a better job of controlling the reflux, however, he still spits up all the time. Somtimes I think we have a fountain baby. It is ok if he spits up as long as it isn't bothering him so we hope this Prevacid will continue to keep him happy. He hates the taste of the Prevacid. He used to tolerate the Zantac but he won't even swallow when you put the Prevacid in his mouth. Thus we have had to adapt our techniques for getting it down.



Ben and I tried to go to Farmington Pond on Sunday along with everyone else in Farmington. It was really crowded. We like to take Cayman up there so he can play in the pond. However, there were lots of people trying to fish so Cayman didn't quite get the time in the water he wanted. We dressed Logan is his baseball outfit his Aut Clyda gave him because it had a hat and we thought that would be good. This is a picture of his hat all twisted backwards on his head so that he looks cool yo!!

The past few weeks Logan has fallen into a pretty reliable schedule. He gets up at 6-6:30 each morning, we feed him his solids at 7:30 then give him a bath and then he goes back to sleep. Then we eat again around 11, play for awhile and then eat again at 3. He is then awake until he eats his solids at 6 and then nurses at 7 and finally 9. He then goes straight to bed. We have been so lucky to be able to get some "normal" sleep. I know this will probably change and am just going to enjoy it while I can. Nevertheless, I feel like we more organized and happy with this schedule which is great!!!

Logan is 4 months!

Time certainlyflies. Logan is now four months old . We took him to the doctor yesterday to get his shots. He now weighs 12 pounds 1 ounce. Our doctor had told us at his 2 month appointment that he would be happy if he was 11 pounds at 4 months so he is doing well. He seems to be picking up on gaining weight. Instead of being below the curve for his weight he is actually now on the bottom curve which still puts him in the bottom 5%. His height however was in like the 15% percentile and his head in the 20% percentile. So I guess there is still a chance he will end up with that Ellis head.

Logan is still struggling with his relux. His doctor decided to up his dose of Zantac since he has gained so much weigh lately so we will see if that helps. If it doesn't help in a few days we are going to switch him to Prevacid. So keep your fingers crossed on that!

We also started Logan on some rice cereal. Since he has refulx our doctor recommended we jump right into that and start to feed him solids twice a day in hopes that the solids will help keep things down in his stomache. He isn't quite sure about the cereal quite yet. He definitely doesn't like it and isn't quite sure what to do with it in his mouth. With that said, he does actually use his tounge and "eat" it so once he decides he likes it I think we will be good.

Logan also got a new sitter and we are just thrilled. She is coming to our house each day that I work and hanging out with Logan. It is so nice to have someone you know come to your house so you don't have to pack your kid up every morning. We are very grateful for his sitter and hope she continues to enjoy him as much as we do.

Logan has definitely figured out that his hands can pick things up now. He used to only hold something if you put it in his hands, but now he will reach out and grab things. His favorite thing to hold is a stuffed dinosuar his Aunt Rachel got him at the Natural History Museum in Washington DC. It is fun to watch him use his hands to play with things. We got out his saucer and he loves to stare at all the toys on this.

Logan has also started laughing. He loves to get eskimo kisses and be tickled. His laugh truely brings joy and makes all those moments of frustration go away. We love our little boy very much and are amazed at how "big" he is getting!

Fellow Bag Lovers

One of my biggest obsessions is bags. I often worry about what bag/purse to take with me and how it will match with my outfit. I used to have a brown and black backpack in college so that I could alernate depending on what colors I was wearing. It only seems fit that as a new parent my bag obsession continues. I told Ben when I was pregnant that the one thing I wanted was a nice diaper bag that could also function as my purse. I did lots of research and found a few I liked.

However, when it came down to it I went for one that was easy on the wallet and functional at the same time. There is nothing wrong with my current diaper bag. It holds what I need it to hold. It is not always at organized as I would like it to be and it definitely doesn't have a good purse function. When I go out shopping I often just put my wallet in the diaper bag along with everything else.

I am just wondering what all you wonderful moms out there do. What type of diaper bag do you have and do you use it as a purse or just a diaper bag? Please give me your recommendations of a bag that is stylish, functional and well priced. Note: I am willing to spend money on something that will last a long time and have great functionality.

Here are a few bags I have found while shopping online. I have never seen them in real life and wonder how great they really are. Any feedback on this subject would be greatly appreciated. I am looking to upgrade my diaper bag soon and would like to have some good thought in it.

Bumble Bag Jessica Buttercup: I love the look of this bag. It seems to fit my personality. I love the idea of a messenger bag--being able to carry it on one shoulder or put it across my body for hands free shopping. I love the simple design that seems hip but not too bold. I don't know how many "purse" features this bag has. This bag has a cell phone pocket and nice lining supposedly.

Ju Ju Be All Perky Perrenials: This bag seems to have the most "purse" functions I can tell. It has a mommy section with a key clip and sunglass pocket. It is also a messenger type bag complete with picture pockets so you can show off how cute your kid is. The design of this bag doesn't fit my personality as well and I worry it would be too bold. It comes in other colors, but most of them are pretty bold. The inside of this bag is bright colors so that stuff is easy to find even in low light.

Petunia Pickle Bottom Touring Toute: I like how classy this bag looks. It also seems more compact. I like the idea of not having a huge bag but wonder about being able to fit everything in the bag. I am often known for overpacking. This bag seems the most like a purse.

Those are my picks from online shopping. These bags all seem a bit on the pricer end. Are there other bags out there that are cheaper and just as nice? What are your opinions? I would appreciate all your expert advice!

Reflux Baby

I took Logan to the doctor last week because he has been getting very upset after eating. When we were in Washington DC he would just scream after he nursed. It seemed to be getting worse. In addition, he would almost choke and gag on himself when nursing. I could definitely tell he was having a hard time swallowing. So I took him in and his pediatrician confirmed that he most likely has reflux and esophagitis. He esophagus is swollen and then the acid from his stomach comes up and it is very uncomfortable for the guy, hence the screaming. Luckily Logan hasn't lost his interest in eating and is still gaining weight. He now weighs 11 pounds 1 ounce.

At his two month appointment, our pediatrician said he would be happy if he was 11 pounds by 4 months! So he is growing quicker than expected. I think he is still small for his age, but he is doing well. So his doctor said that we could do several tests to confirm the severity of the reflux or we would just put him on Zantac for a few weeks and see if that helps. He said it is very safe for people of all ages. So we opted to try the Zantac. We have to give it to him 3 times a day in a liquid. Logan will pretty much take anything by mouth and just suck it and swallow it. However, he isn't as thrilled about the Zantac. We have to disguise it with his vitamins to get him to swallow it. He seems to be doing better, but the pediatrician said it might take a few weeks before we see a big difference. Here's to hoping this helps out the poor little guy!!

Our Happy Boy

Ben caught this shot of Logan and I a few weeks back. It is by far one of my favorite pictures. I think he is starting to look a lot like me. What do you all think?

Washington DC

So I know I haven't posted for awhile, but I have a good reason for part of it. My family (my mom, dad, sister, her husband, Ben, Logan and I) all went on a week long trip to our Nation's capital.

It was lots of fun. There are so many things to do we didn't get to do all of them. Nevertheless, we got to see many sights. Ben and I had never been. Ben was a bit skeptical at first I think of what there really was to do. However, once we took him to the Air and Space Museum he was hooked. They even had a sample of the rocket he helps build for his job. Cool huh?

The best thing about Washington DC is that everything is free. We went to the National Zoo one day and just walked right in. The locals do their morning runs through the zoo. How cool would that be? I think we all need cities like this. I think the memorials were my favorite part, besides the zoo...I am a sucker for animals as you all know. I also love art history. I bought a book all about the symbolism and stories behind the memorials and, therefore, found them quite fascinating. I also loved Arlington Cemetery. I had no idea how HUGE it is. You can't help but feel overwhelmed and sense of American Pride walking through the cemetery. Ben's favorite was Mt. Vernon, George Washington's home. As Ben says, George is now his hero. We learned a lot about him and what he has done for our country.

We took many pictures of our trip. Here are some of the highlights.

Here is our whole family at the National History Museum with my favorite animal, the elephant.

Logan with his Aunt Rachel at the Air and Space Museum. This was by far Logan's favorite. There was one exhibit that was all dark with glowing stars and signs that he just loved. Thanks for taking me through it Aunt Rachel.

Ben in front of the rocket he builds everyday, the Minute Man III. (It is the one with the pointed top in the background.)

Ben and I from Robert E. Lee's house above Arlington Cemetery.

Logan playing airplane in the airport with his Uncle Jeff. He absolutely loves playing airplane lately. We would carry him around like this in DC and he would just be alert and looking at everything.

Logan crashed on the bed after a long day. I think we all wanted to crash like this after walking around the city.

We used the metro to get around and only paid like $25 for the whole week. Can't get much better than that. I have to say we got pretty good at navigating around using the Metro. It was very nice and clean. You have to watch out for the locals though who get on and off of the cars like herds. Don't get in their path or you are going to get run over.

I was a bit nervous about taking my 3 month old on a trip and plane ride. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it all went. My family was so helpful with him and Ben and i probably wouldn't have had as much fun if it wasn't for them. I joked that Logan was going to be so bored when we got home cause he wouldn't have 6 people looking at him when he woke up each time. He was a wonderful traveler and just slept on the airplane and through most of the museums and stuff as well.

I was also a little nervous to have to breastfeed Logan in public. I haven't done a whole lot of that here and was skeptical of how I was going to do at it. I prepared myself by purchasing a stylish Mommy Cover to provide the necessary privacy while feeding. This was a wonderful buy and definitely got a lot of use on this trip, alone. With my Mommy Cover in store I was able to nurse Logan at the National History Museum, Mt. Vernon, Jefferson's Memorial, multiple restaurants and food courts, airports, airplanes, National Zoo, and many other historic places. Logan didn't seem to mind and just went with the flow the whole time.

Overall we had a wonderful trip. I wish we could vacation all the time. But for now it is back to the real world.

Logan's Song

Ever since Logan was a month or so old, we have been able to get him to smile by singing his name to him. We were finally able to catch it on video and lucky for me it is my husband singing and not me. Video cameras always make you sound funny. Nevertheless, Logan loves it when you sing his name to him like this.