Converted to Consignment

When I was first pregnant I wanted everything NEW!

I now have a 7 1/2 month old child and the 3 things I bought consignment were $5, $10, $10 and they are 3 of the best things I have ever bought!

$5 - Johnny Jumpup  (retail for about $39.99)- Just washed the inside lining (which i will add was a b*tch to get out, but worth it)  then wiped down the plastic - GOOD AS NEW!

and she freaking loves this thing.  It's also nice because I can put it in the doorway of the bathroom while I am taking a shower. I can peak out to see her, she can still move around, but is still safe.

$10 - Plastic Car (retails for $40) - I will wipe it down, but it was cold so I just put a blanket down.  It has a seat belt, so she isn't at risk of falling out.  We've only taken 1 ride, but she seemed to love it :)

$10 - Safety 1st Bath Seat (retails for $49.99) - it got a very very good cleaning when we got it, for obvious reasons.

Not into posting bathtime pics, but it makes life so much easier!!! She loves bathtime and with this I can rest my elbows on the nice shelf and she can have a little more freedom by sitting up.

I won't buy just anything consignment, but I'm a total believer now!  If it's made of plastic and can be cleaned, I'll take a look.  Emma is also growing so much so fast, it's hard to keep up and if I bought everything she could want new, I'd go broke!!!

And here are some more pics, just because she's so freakin cute!

PS. We just went to the doctor and she is officially 18 lbs! :)

Risky Business

Emma has had her two bottom teeth for a little over a month now.

She is so stinkin cute with her little teeth.  Would you like to know what is not cute though?

Warning! Explicit Language Ahead!

OK, what is not cute is getting your nipple bitten.  It's funny, because every mom talks about it and how much it hurts, but you never REALLY know that pain until it happens to you.  Well it happened to me twice in the past month.

Just recently Emma's two TOP teeth are coming in as well.  Getting bitten with one end of teeth is one thing, but when there are hard teeth on both sides of that bite instead of chewy gums it is a whole different ballgame.

This happened 2 mornings ago, hence since then we have been bottle feeding.

I don't know if I'm totally ready to be 100% done breastfeeding, because it is an amazing feeling and bonding experience with me and Emma, BUT I don't know if I'm ready to risk loosing a nipple either!

Which is a question I may google...has any child completely bitten off a nipple?  Something to think about :)

For now, the bottle is great and she's totally fine with it. She's also doing great with the formula as well for supplementing.

My little baby is getting so big :(

7 Month Rave

Today is Emma Jean's 7 month birthday.....She decided to celebrate by partying all night long....... :(

We think she was gassy, ha!  Who the heck knows though.

It's so interesting to think about some of the things you go through when you have a child.  I preface this with the fact that I do know I have an amazingly easy baby 95% of the time.  We are very lucky.  But that 5% can be tough.  I think I say that all the time :)

Anyway, I must say, I have no idea how people parent on their own.  Even when DH and I are pulling our hair out in the wee hours of the morning and we want to kill each other because we have no idea what to do, at least we have each other! I just don't know if I could do it all by myself.  I am so thankful to have that support.

Emma is pretty much sitting up all by herself these days.  She falls over every now and again but, she's getting better and better everyday.  Which reminds me, we need to LOWER THE CRIB!  :)

Andddddddddd best news of all, she said her first word  (MAMA)!  She may not know what she is saying, but she is definitely saying it.

207 Days

Yesterday Emma was 207 days old.  She had only breast-milk for 206 days of her life.  She's had fruits and veggies, but never the dreaded FORMULA!

Well, yesterday, I gave her the unspeakable.  I supplemented my breast-milk with formula. You wanna know what happened?  She drank it like nothing happened and was happy go lucky like she always is.

Worst part?  I still feel guilty about it.  Why is there such a stigma?  I happen to know many people who gave formula to a baby their whole life and the baby is perfect.  I know many people who never touch the stuff and their baby is perfect too.

I think I was just worried that she would hate it, or have a bad reaction.  Now, mind you it's only day 2, but so far so good.

Best part?  LESS STRESS!  I don't have to worry with every pumping session about how much is coming out.  Obviously I'll be giving Emma every drop of BM, but if I need to add an ounce to get her really full and happy, I'll add a freakin ounce!

That's all.

Final thoughts.........I'm sharing this because it's a good thing.

My baby is almost 7 months old and I'm still breastfeeding and going strong and I am very very proud of myself for that, because IT AIN'T EASY. I'm giving myself a break and probably making Emma happier, because she gets extra food. If you've ever met my child, she isn't shy about eating.

I might be taking my first work trip next week.  100% of me doesn't want to go and just stay with Emma, but 75% of me wants to go too.  It's a strange feeling.  If I'm being really honest, the thought of a night with no chance of waking up to a crying baby or a happy baby at 5am sounds amazing. It's just 1 night.  I love her, but mommy needs her sleep.  DH is very supportive, but obviously it's scary the first time home alone, I know I was petrified myself!  We all survived and we'll keep surviving with every new adventure.