Thankful

This afternoon was rough with Ryne.  He was so exhausted yet wanted to fight sleep with every ounce of his being.  It is amazing how far babies will go to fight sleep.  I hate to admit it, but I got frustrated.  I laid him down and had to walk away a few times and collect myself.  After about an hour and a half I got him down.  Success!  Mother guilt is like none other.  I am now feeling guilty for being frustrated.  I wasn't upset with Ryne, just frustrated at the situation which escalated because I was frustrated with myself for being frustrated.  I know this is all normal (doesn't make it any easier).  So I got to thinking that I should write a list of the many many things I am thankful for on this Thanksgiving Eve.

• Ryne
• I was told by two obgyns that becoming pregnant would be difficult, so I had prepared myself for a long road, but the universe had other plans.  We were blessed with Ryne sooner than expected and we were so elated with the news.  I am so thankful I had an uneventful pregnancy and fairly uneventful delivery with a healthy baby boy.  I am thankful for the opportunity to be a mother, especially to Ryne.  I have never wanted anything more than to be a mother.  I remember being a very little girl caring for my baby dolls and dreaming of the day I got to do it for real.  Motherhood is much harder than I expected, but brings me more joy and fulfillment than I could have ever imagined.  A bad day with Ryne is better than any day without Ryne.  
• Matthew
• Matt is truly my partner.  He believes in me and supports me.  I have loved Matt since I met him, but being a parent along side him has deepened my love for him.  He is an amazing father to our little guy.  He is gentle, oh so patient with Ryne, and game to help in anyway needed.  Matt keeps me balanced.  Without him I would go crazy.  I am so thankful for finding the love of my life and soul mate.
•   Parents
• Matt and I are lucky to have parents that love us and our son.  Both sets of Ryne's grandparents have been very supportive of our little family during our pregnancy and after Ryne's birth.  Both sets of grandparents have helped us out when in a bind.  Don't know what we would do with out them.  So glad we live close(and hopeful my parents will become north siders soon and be even closer). I am thankful that Ryne has 2 sets of amazing grandparents.
• Cousins
• I am thankful for all of my cousins.  I am an only child and they are the closest things I had to siblings growing up.  Its so true the saying that cousins are your first friends.
• I am also thankful for Ryne's cousins that are close to him in age.  I hope he has as much fun as I did with my cousins growing up.  I am especially thankful for activity day once a week with Peggy, Tanner, Logan, and Grandma Sparks(sometimes Grandpa Sparks too).  This has given Ryne the chance to bond with his cousins while doing fun things.
• Matt's Siblings
• I am so thankful that Ryne has two sets of aunts and uncles that love him so much!  Both have helped out by babysitting and they brought food to the hospital when Ryne had just been born.
• I am so thankful that Scott and Taylor live so close.  They have helped us out so much with Ryne whether it was taking Ryne to the doctor when he would just scream in his car seat or helping me clean the house among many other things.  Being a stay at home mom can be lonely at times and having Taylor around to hang out or run errands with is so nice.  Looking forward to when she is an official Drummond.  
• Amazing Friends of 11 years
• Becca, Diane, and Kim have been my best friends since freshman year of high school.  We don't talk very often anymore, but we always make time for each other when important events happen in each other's lives.  We also are just a phone call away when one of us is in need.  I love these girls very much and look so forward to seeing them this weekend.  We are family. Period.
• My job
• I love being a respiratory therapist.  I love caring for ill people and making a difference in their care.  My job at Community North allows me to have a very flexible schedule and work when it is convenient for me.  I can work in 4 hour intervals which is wonderful during the week.  I usual work one 4 hour shift a week which brings in a little extra money, gives me a chance to use my RT skills, and gives me a break from the stay at home mom grind.  
• The ability to stay home with Ryne
• I love staying home and caring for Ryne.  It is a luxury that many people don't have that I know is very special.  Ryne will only be little for so long.  It is going by so fast already.  I feel so lucky to have the chance to spend everyday all day (expect those 4 hours at work or an occasional outing) with him.   Staying home isn't always perfect.  Sometimes I wish we still had my full time income.  I also sometimes wonder if he would get more structure and have more social interaction if he was in day care, but I feel that the pros absolutely out way the cons.
• Kindermusik and the Library
• Ryne and I have kindermusik class on Mondays(thanks Tammy and Hugh), story time on Tuesdays, and baby love on Thursdays.  This gives Ryne a chance to socialize and he seems to be getting an appreciation for music.  It also gives me a chance to socialize and get out of the house.  I love this routine and am so thankful for it.  
• Dexter
• Dexter has been a wonderful dog for us the past 3+ years.  He is a great cuddler and is always up for a game of fetch.  I love my boo boo.
• Last but not least all of my extended family
• This includes everyone from my second cousins to my great aunts.  There's not a bad one in the bunch.  Special shout out to Ryne's great grandparents and great aunts and uncles.  They have all shown such love to Ryne and us.

Here is a cute picture of my baby to lighten the mood

Amazing Baby Products

Top 15 Baby Gear That Worked for Us

Before we get this list started I have to say that thebump.com has been a sanity saver for me.  The forums with other moms has gotten me through some hard times.  It has been so comforting to know that other mamas are going through the same things I am going through.  Also it has been so helpful to see what the other mamas are doing in order to get their babies sleeping, nursing, reaching developmental milestones, etc.  During my pregnancy knowing other mamas were miserable near the end of their pregnancy helped me keep things in perspective.  Thank you The Bump for being my lifeline.  

1. Swaddleme

Our little guy had a killer startle reflex that would wake him up moments after falling asleep and being laid down on his back.  Poor guy would wake up so upset.  It took us awhile, but we figured out that he needed to be swaddled.  He started sleeping much better after the swaddle was utilized.  First we used a blanket to swaddle him, but he was so strong he could break out of the swaddle no matter how tight we got it.  We then switched to the swaddle me with the velcro and never looked back.  They hold much better and he loves them.  We had to start using a blanket around his arms along with the swaddleme in order for it to hold all night.  It works like a charm!  Ryne is now an excellent sleeper.  Now that Ryne can roll like a champ, we have tried to have him sleep without the swaddleme on his tummy.  He is not having it.  I guess the swaddleme is here to stay for awhile. 

2. Nipple Shield 

Without getting too graphic breast feeding can do a number on a mama physically.  The nipple shield goes on the mother's nipple and acts as a protective barrier.  If it wasn't for the nipple shield, I wouldn't have been successful with breast feeding.  Thanks goodness for the medela nipple shield!

3. Rock n Play

We didn't have the rock n play before Ryne was born, but when we were having a hard time getting Ryne to sleep anywhere but on our chests I did some research on my favorite website, thebump.com.  All the mamas were saying the the rock n play was life changing, so I sent Matt to babies r us to pick one up.  Ryne did sleep in the rock n play much better than anywhere else we had tried.  It took another month or so before he exclusively slept in the rock n play.  He probably would have done it sooner had we stuck to putting him in the RnP, but we were so exhausted we would give in and let him sleep on us in the recliner at night.  Moral of the story is the RnP was essential to getting Ryne to sleep on his own.  He sleeps in his crib now and the transition to crib from RnP was easy for us.  Thank goodness for the RnP!

4. Sleep Sheep

As soon as I was pregnant, I was obsessed with the sleep sheep.  It is basically a sound machine to help babies sleep.  Ryne really loves the ocean sounds.  We have 2 of them.  A small one we use in the carseat and in the pack n play while traveling.  The big one is on his crib at home.  My only complaint would be that it automatically turns off at either 23 or 43 minutes, but I guess it has to otherwise we would go through AA batteries like crazy.  Sleep sheep has been an essential tool for getting Ryne to sleep on his own. I LOVE YOU SLEEP SHEEP!

P.S. Matt made fun of me when I was pregnant because he thought Sleep Sheep was stupid.  Now he loves sleep sheep too.  

5. Itzbeen

The itzbeen was an amazing find!  We live and breath our itzbeen.  It is so very hard to try and remember anything when you are so sleep deprived due to nursing a newborn every 45 minutes.  This is where the itzbeen comes in.  You hit the bottle button when you feed the baby and it will start a timer, so you can see how long it has been since you last fed the baby.  You can use the diaper button to see when you last changed the baby.  We use the diaper button for gas drops.  The zzz button is for how long the baby sleeps, but we use it for when we last gave his zantac.  The * button is for miscellaneous needs.  When Ryne was on antibiotics for his ear infection when he was 2 weeks old, we used the * button for that.  Right now we use that button for Tylenol and Orajel for his teething.   

Another feature I love about this product is the flashlight on the top.  It is hard to find your way in the middle of the night when you don't want to turn lights on as to avoid waking the baby.  There is a clip on the back that allows mama to wear the itzbeen on her waist if need be.  I really love the ability to set an alarm.  You can make the itzbeen either buzz or have the button flash when the timer for a particular button has reach a certain point you set.  We have the bottle button set for 4 hours and the button flashes red.  

In a nutshell, the itzbeen makes it so you don't have to try and remember the last time you did something and so you don't have to calculate the length of time it has been.  The itzbeen has kept our sanity.  We love you itzbeen!

6. Breast Pump

This was given to me by a friend who is done having children.  It is a hospital grade pump that she got from a family member who owned a medial supply renting company.  I haven't used any other type of pump, so I don't know the difference.  I do know that my lactation consultant at the hospital said it was a really good and expensive pump and I was lucky to have it.  I wasn't going to buy a pump until I knew I was going to be successful at breastfeeding, but I am really glad I had the pump before Ryne was born.  We took it to the hospital and the lactation consultant taught me how to use it.  I also needed it within a week of Ryne being born.  Now I pump during the day and only nurse during his middle of the night feeding and sometimes when he gets up for the day.  My pump is essential to Ryne getting breast milk.  

7. Video Monitor

This is the first thing for the baby Matt bought.  The video monitors that you can buy for baby are expensive.  I have seen some over $300.  Matt got this camera for about $60.  We got an app on our phone called tinyCam Monitor Pro that allows us to move the camera and see in his nursery from anywhere(even when out of state we could peak in on his room).  I love that the camera has night vision! We can even use the app on our tablets.  We have Matt's tablet setup in our loft with the app running all the time.  I love that I can see him from anywhere! 

8. Pacifier Clip

Love love love the paci clip.  He used to spit out paci and it would hit the floor.  Then I would have to go clean it. This cycle would repeat repeat repeat.  Now that Ryne can grab things and put them in his own mouth, when he wants paci he finds it himself and puts it in his mouth.  Its great!  We will be using the paci clip from day one with the next baby.

9. Dr. Brown's Bottles

My mother in law bought these bottles from a coworker.  We didn't have problems with the bottles we had, but Ryne has reflux and these bottles are supposed to help with that.  I feel that they work well for him.  He never spits up and rarely fusses.  I would recommend these bottles to anyone.

10. Bouncy Seat

Our bouncy seat was a hand me down from my aunt's twins.  He didn't like it when he was really little, but around 2.5 months he was able to see the handing toys and he started to love it.  He can reach the toys now and loves to shake them and pull the lion and make him play music. I keep the bouncy seat in our bathroom so that he can play safely while mommy gets ready in the morning.  

11. Bumpo

We have been using the bumpo since Ryne was 2 months old.  You really aren't supposed to start using it until babies are about 3 months old, but his pediatrician said he was far enough in his development and strong enough at our 2 month appointment.  Go RYNE!  Anyway I feel that the bumpo has really made Ryne stronger.  He could only last about a minute or 2 when we first started putting him in it, but he increased his tolerance very quickly.  He is now sitting up on his own over a month early.  We also use it to feed him.  It comes with a tray which is fun for him to play with his toys on.  To sum it up the bumpo made the Ry Guy very strong and is a great substitute for a high chair until he is big enough for one.  

12. Baby Signing Time DVDs

Our friends have 2 boys ages 3.5 and 6.  They loved these DVDs when they were babies, so they let us borrow them.  Ryne has loved them from day one.  When Ryne is upset, we just start singing songs from Baby Signing Time and he immediately calms down.  The theory is that if a toddler knows sign language and is able to communicate with the sign language before their ability to speak they will be less frustrated therefore there will be less tantrums.  The jury is still out on that.  I am hopeful that sign language will give Ryne the gift of being able to communicate his wants and needs effectively.  As of right now, he just enjoys the music and watching the babies do the sign language.

13. Changing Pad

I registered for this changing pad on a whim at target.  I love it!  It holds diapers and wipes and can be wrapped up in a neat little package with a handle, so if I only need to take my diaper changing supplies they are all in one convenient pouch.  I haven't used the pocket on the outside yet, but I am sure once Ryne is a little older and I am more comfortable not going out with everything but the kitchen sink  I will utilize it.

14. Jumparoo

I saw the jumparoo at babies R us before Ryne was born and wondered if he would like it.  Ryne has enjoyed standing and being bounced since he was 2 weeks old, so I knew once he was big enough he would love it.  This jumparoo is normally about $140.  I found it at a garage sale for $25.  Score!  I cleaned it up and its like new.  The best part is he loves it!

15. Nursing Tanks

I did some research before Ryne was born and all the mamas said that you don't want a nursing bra, you want a nursing tank.  It's great because if you have to lift your shirt to nurse you don't expose your tummy.  I wear a sleep bra under the tank for a little extra support.  So glad I took the nursing bras I bought back and bought the nursing tanks.

* Honorable Mention 

• Swing 
• We didn't use it that much.  He slept in it a couple times before we got the rock n play.  It wasn't the magic soother that a lot of parents say it is for their baby.  He would hang out in it, but he didn't love it.

• Gates
• We have two gates. One at the top of the stairs and one to block off the loft.  They are great to keep the dogs out, but we have them open most of the time.  They will be used much more when Ryne is mobile.

• Chicco Cortina Magic Stroller
• We do really like our stroller, but there isn't much special about it.  What we like about it is that it matches our car seat, our car seat fits in it, the back is very adjustable, and it opens and collapses very easily.  We can open and collapse it with one hand.  My only complaint is it doesn't collapse down small.  It takes up most of the trunk of our scion.  Also it is kinda heavy, but for the price it is perfect.

• Pack n Play
• When researching what pack n play we wanted I thought we needed the diaper changing station, the infant napper, and a mobile.  Not so much.  All we needed was the basic pack n play.  We have never used the infant napper, hanging stars, or changing station.  When you read about the pack n play we got, it says you can't allow your baby to sleep in the infant napper at night.  What? If the baby can't sleep in it at night, why are they allowed to sleep in it during the day?  When Matt put it together, I just didn't feel safe putting Ryne in the napper.  It didn't feel completely safe to me.  We thought we would have Ryne sleep in his PnP in our room, but he didn't sleep in it for longer than a couple minutes until he was almost 4 months old. What I do like about it is that you can break it down and put it back up quickly.  It gets pretty small and travels well.  The PnP is essential for us because we travel so much, but we didn't need the fancy one we got.
•  Funny story.  The night we got home from the hospital I nursed Ryne swaddled him and rocked him to sleep.  We then laid him down in the pack in play.  Matt and I stood there looking at him asleep and felt so proud of ourselves.  I thought to myself, that was easy.  We laid down to sleep and thought we would be woken up in an hour or so.  A minute later he was up and we were up for the next couple weeks. haha I didn't realize that babies had to taught how to sleep on their own.  Lesson learned. 

This is the picture of Ryne asleep in his PnP the night we brought him home

• Chicco keyfit 30 Magic Carseat
• I did the most research on the carseat.  I wanted it to be safe and user friendly.  Everyone has to have a carseat.  They don't allow you to go home with your baby without one.  The nurse will even get in your car and inspect the carseat.  Any who when researching carseats this one kept coming up as one of the safest.  I was then in between two.  We went to babies r us and this one seemed to be more user friendly and looked more comfortable.  Every carseat out there has to pass certain safety tests done by the government, so really you can't go wrong.  Ryne hates his carseat, but I doubt a different carseat would have improved this issue.  We are very happy with how easy it is to get this carseat in and out of the car.  I also like that the color is gender neutral and matches the stroller.  

Here is Ry Guy at the hospital before be left

Turning - My first couple of projects...

Greetings!

It has been a very long time! Well, I have decided to write another post but this time about my first couple of adventures in wood turning on a lathe. Sorry, not including anything about the Ry Guy..

My Grandmother got me a wood lathe for my birthday and I have been obsessed ever since I rigged up my first piece of wood. It is a lot of fun!

So, after going through a couple pieces of wood just playing with the tools I felt ready to start my first actual project.



Now, one thing I want to make clear before I go too much further is that while I really enjoy woodworking as a hobby I'm still too cheap minded when it comes to my wood stock. This results in me using cheap pine or whatever I can get my hands on for free which I usually end up fighting and then being unhappy with the results. I realize that if I just invested a little more into the quality of wood I was using I would have a much easier time and would be much happier with the results.. But am not ready to make that change...

Following my normal routine after getting a new tool, I like to make something for my wife. Now, this serves a couple of purposes.

1. It is a nice way for me to show my appreciation for her dealing with my woodworking hobby. I have taken over the garage way more then I probably should, and the amount of saw dust that is everywhere can get crazy.
2. It is a small consolation prize for the several hours/evenings that I spent secluded in the garage playing. 
3. And, she is the guinea pig for my new tool!

So, without any further blabbering; my first couple of projects on the lathe.

Project 1: Turned Flower

My first attempt at a turned flower was using the leg off of a pallet skid that I got awhile back. While I took great care in visually inspecting the piece I was using to ensure that there were no nails that I might hit I still ran into a problem..

Everything was going great until I ran into what resulted in that big missing chunk on the lower left. Some how a nail was embedded in this piece of wood and showed no signs of it on the outside. As you can tell I had already done quite a bit of turning on what was a square piece of wood prior to hitting this nail.. 

 So, thus ended my first attempt and jump started attempt number 2. Now, at this point I was done with pallet wood. The frustration got to me and I wanted no more of that!

So, I decided to try again using one of the logs from the trees we chopped down a couple of weeks ago in the back yard. I'm not sure exactly what type of wood this is but I can tell you that it is soft..

Now, this flower I was able to completely finish turning without any issues!! But, I'm not super happy with the shape that I ended up with. I feel like I got a little excited and went overboard on the shape.

Now, for those of you who are unsure or maybe cant tell from this picture, that stain looks horrible and I scuffed up the bottom pretty good right at the end.. So, that is strike number two and three for my second attempt!

Leading me onto my third and final attempt!

Attempt number 3 was completed at roughly midnight and was the one attempt that I am most pleased with. Not much to say about this one other then I decided to just go very simple with this one and skip out on the stain or any crazy design.

Here is the flower that I left for Courtney (she was the smart one and had taken the opportunity to go to bed already) taped to the handle of her water cup for her to get when she got up in the middle of the night with the kiddo attached to a little note expressing my gratitude for all that she does.. (I know, nice touch right?).. She seemed to like it..

Moving forward I would like to make a couple more of these and a vase for them to go in.. We will see when I actually get to that..

Project 2: Turned Bowl

So, after watching countless turning videos on YouTube and reading several articles I decided that I wanted to try to turn a bowl..

Now, going into this I had my doubts due to the previously mentioned refusal to invest in nice wood. And I think I was right but I feel that was only half of my problem.

Here is as far as I got on my first attempt at a small turned bowl. The bowl is the part on the right, the left half is waste that is primarily used to secure the wood piece to the lathe so that I can properly work all sides.

Now, I know what you are thinking; "Wow, that actually looks like it is starting off really nice!".. And that would be because I hid the chunks that flew off while I was shaping it!

In the next couple of pictures you can see the chunk of wood that came flying out as well as some of the carving into the inside of the bowl that I did..

Needless to say, after the chunks flew off I was a little discouraged and didn't spend too much more time playing with this piece. I will probably go back later and mess with it some more just to practice shaping the bowl some more..

So, after all the playing and mess ups that I did what are my take away tidbits of knowledge that I learned?

• Crappy wood is just that, crappy.. Expect chunks to fly off or hidden nails
• I need to sharpen my tools, I expect that this will help a little with the chunks that I'm losing
• I had no idea how much I would enjoy working on a wood lathe. It has been a blast!

Once again, Courtney is smart and is already in bed while I am up messing around.. I can sleep when I'm dead, right?

Thanks for at least skimming my post and glancing at the pictures.. 

Have a nice day!

ALL THE PICTURES!!

March 6th, 2013

March 7th, 2013 - One of the last pre-Ryne pics!

March 8th, 2013 - Ryne!

I apologize now to those of you who get tired of seeing baby pictures.. Feel free to move along and stop scrolling through this post :)

March 9th, 2013

March 10th, 2013

March 11th, 2013

March 12th, 2013 - Courtney's Grandparents got Ryne his first trophy! Rookie of the Year 2013!!

March 12th, 2013 - Yup you needed a repeat day cause you thought you were gonna get out of seeing Ryne...

March 13th, 2013

March 14th, 2013

March 15th, 2013

March 16th, 2013

March 17th, 2013

March 18th, 2013

March 19th, 2013 - Ok a quick breather... Haha Mike using an iPad..

March 20th, 2013

March 21st, 2013 - Nap Time?

March 22nd, 2013 - Testing out the carrier

March 23rd, 2013 

March 24th, 2013

March 25th, 2013

March 26th, 2013

March 27th, 2013

March 28th, 2013

March 29th, 2013

March 30th, 2013

March 31th, 2013

April 1st, 2013

April 2nd, 2013

April 3rd, 2013

April 4th, 2013

April 5th, 2013

Ok, that is 30-some pictures.. I think that is enough for one post.. I'll continue these later