Holiday Road!!

Well... we survived!  And it sure wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  Let's see if I can organize this to possibly help you - should you take on this daunting task.

First... packing - Since the weather here in the Midwest has a tendency to change every other minute, I way over packed...

The suitcase:  I packed literally every piece of clothing this kiddo could fit in to!!  My mom suggested 2 long sleeve outfits per day, 2 short sleeve outfits per day, 2 pairs of long pants per day, and PLENTY of plain white onesies to use as under shirts.  3 sleepers - 1 light, 1 heavy, and 1 sleep sack.  Socks, shoes, and hair bows (my daughter still has no hair...)  an open 27 pack of diapers (some went in her diaper bag... I will get to that), an extra pack of wipes, a few toys for tummy time, a night light (Diana has never slept in a completely dark room since the day she was born...) and finally a queen size quilt to go under her bed (I will get to that as well) OH!  I also took her snuza that she wears every night, and extra batteries - a momma can never be too prepared when it comes to her sleeping babe.

The diaper bag:  I brought 10 diapers, a pack of wipes, diaper cream, changing pad, extra cream, formula measured out, 3 bottles with 6 ounces of distilled water, a receiving blanket, a binky, and a change of clothes.

The Thirty-One tote:  1 gal of distilled water, can of formula, extra bottles, dish soap, bottle brush, enough fruit and veggie purees for 3 days, measured oatmeal cereal for 3 days, apple juice for the oatmeal, utensils, bibs, and highchair cover.

Why the highchair cover?  Well, she is working on sitting up and is doing REALLY well!  But not well enough that I wanted her to sit in a highchair without some padding.  So I brought it along.  It worked out pretty well.

In my dad's suitcase, we were able to pack this bed.  While the bed looks scary for a 6 month old, we took extra precautions - the quilt we packed went on the floor, we blew up the base of the bed, but not the mattress.  Along with the bed, we brought the sheet that she lays on at my mom's house to fully cover the bed.  It worked perfectly!

Along with all of this stuff, she rode down in her car seat - which I belted in to the bus seat - and her stroller for the shopping day!

She slept on the ride down...

She hung out with her Papa Keel (his hat has a great story!  My parents have been hosting trips for 16 years!  The very first trip they hosted, they were the 2nd of 3 busses - color coded BLUE, hence the blue hat.  Makes them easy to pick out in a crowd!  Every trip, they have added something related to the trip)

Diana got her very own hat too! :)  We couldn't find a blue one not covered in glitter, so we bought a black one and added a blue bandana.  She wore it for all of .25 seconds.

This was her ride back...

This was her and daddy hanging out after we got home.  Her whole face just lit up when she saw him!

Now... What did we learn?  First, I learned that I packed WAY TOO MUCH!! There was no need for that many clothes, however with not knowing how the weather was going to be, I might just over pack again next time.

Second, I learned to TAKE MY BABY CARRIER!!!  I didn't realize how far our hotel room was from the on site restaurant we had breakfast and dinner at each day... Especially since it rained the whole day Friday, and it was cold... I had to wrap her in a blanket (I did have a hoody for her, and a sock monkey hat!!) and carry her across the hotel each day... She got heavy after a while.

Third, I learned that most people will extend grace to moms - especially if they see you are doing your best to keep kiddos quiet and happy.  Sometimes, kids cry.  Sometimes, kids fuss.  And no matter what you do, they won't stop.  Fortunately, I did not have that experience.  She was happy the whole trip, and even let other people hold her and play with her so mom could have a few minute break.

We took a pair of noise reducing headphones for her, but she slept through the 2 shows and didn't act like the noise was bothering her.

I also suggest that should you try to do this by yourself with your little one, do your best to keep to their schedule.  Even if she was in her seat, I did my best to keep bottles at the ready for when she was hungry and made sure to take her out of her seat for a stretch at each stop.  Even if she didn't get to be on her tummy until we got to the hotel, she still enjoyed the few minutes out of her seat.

I think my next post will be an entire review of the trip, because I gotta tell you - my parents work HARD on these trips!  They plan everything so all you have to do is show up, sit back, and enjoy yourself!  They plan meals, shows, rooms, they even provide entertainment on the bus on the way down!  Complete with soda, water, candy, and goody bags available to everyone.  They do a great job, and most people don't even know half of the work that goes into the planning on the trips.  Granted, they have it down to a science, since this was their 16th trip!

Don't be afraid to travel with your littles!  They need experiences, you need the memories, and it was a lot of fun to watch her experience things for the first time!

Sisterhood of the Traveling 6 Month Old

This little bug will be 6 months old on Sunday... Mom is not handling it well, at all!  She is hitting a ton of milestones - attempting to crawl, enjoying (homemade) purees, grabbing things, teething... but I want her to stay little!  I mean, I want her to grow up, because it has been the wildest ride watching her grown and change.  But I sure am going to miss my little, tiny bundle!!

Along with turning 6 months old on Sunday, she is also getting ready to go on her first ever "vacation"  My parents host a bus trip to Branson every year for our church, and I have been going to help out and also take TONS of pictures!  Last year, I went while I was almost 4 months pregnant - that was a nauseating trip (I was still in the throwing my guts up constantly stage...) but I always ALWAYS have a great time!  Spending time with my parents, and spending time with the people of our church always results in a wonderful trip!!

This time, though, will be completely different.  Taking Diana with me is making me very anxious... I worry that she will scream the whole ride down and back, I worry that she will annoy the people on the bus who are planning to have a relaxing trip, I worry that I am going to forget something, and all of this is just made 103848701048 times worse thanks to my stupid postpartum anxiety...

I don't even want to tell you how many lists I have started just to make sure that I don't forget a single thing... or that I have asked my mom to come help me pack to make sure I have covered it all.  Oy, this is nerve wracking.

So, here I am, dear reader!! Telling you that even 6 months in, I still don't have it all together :)  And that's ok!

What are your packing tips?  What are the do's?  What are the don'ts?

Also... Anyone know Amanda Mason??  She won the Snuza, but has not responded to me about the prize!! Anyone?? Anyone?? Bueller??

It's Over...

Thanks to PCOS, I knew from the very start that breast feeding was probably going to be difficult.  When we found out we were pregnant, we both agreed that I should attempt breast feeding - even if it only worked out for a short time.

I gave myself some goals - make it through her first week and see what her pediatrician says.  Her weight checked out perfectly, so I decided to make it until the next check up.  Then the next, then the end of maternity leave, and finally 6 months!

Here we are, 2 weeks shy of her 6 month "birthday" and I am still breast feeding - sort of.  She usually takes 7-10 ounces a day while I am at work... I am not pumping nearly enough.  On a good day, I will pump 8 ounces.  There are some days when I am lucky enough to pump 5 ounces... While I am extremely pro breast feeding, I will ALWAYS agree that fed is best.

Breast feeding is hard... When I am with Diana, I know that every 4 hours - no matter what I am doing, or trying to get done - I will have a tiny human attached to me.  I have horrible anxiety (still) about breast feeding her in public.  Not because I don't know my rights, I am very well aware of them actually.  I just have horrible body image of myself, so the thought of any type of exposure OR confrontation from a complete stranger, I just can't handle it.  Though, on the occasion that I see another breast feeding mom, I always remind her of how awesome she is and throw a fist pump her way!

I guess I am one of the lucky ones... I have never experienced mastitis, only had a clogged duct one time, and I have never experienced cracked or otherwise damaged nipples (overshare??) It's been a beautiful experience.  I feel I have truly bonded with my daughter in a way that no one else ever could.  I feel I have given my daughter life in a way that no one else could, by way of being her food source.  I will always be eternally grateful to even have this experience, because most PCOS moms never do.

I have tried all of the "tricks" from more water, lactation cookies, oatmeal for breakfast, various drinks and other foods, but I am still unable to produce enough to exclusively breast feed.  This week, we have started supplementing 1 bottle with formula and see how it goes.  I will also continue to pump at work, because even if I can only give her 1 bottle through out the day I will! I will also continue to attempt to nurse in the morning and before she goes to bed.

Honestly, I am trying not to beat myself up over this - I gave it my absolute best!  I have done all I know to do, but I also know that my daughter needs to eat to live...

I will also forever continue to support new momma's in their journeys - whether breast feeding or not!  Everyone needs someone to be their cheerleader!  What works for you may not have worked for me, but we are Momma's and in this together.