Whoo Hooo!!

At exactly 5 weeks of age, Violet started sleeping through the night.  This is sooooo nice!!!!  Seems like baby girl got her sleeping habits from daddy, who used to sleep until 1 PM when I first met him.  Let's hope this continues so mommy can keep getting her beauty sleep.

Violet is 1 month old!

I can't believe how time flies.  It has been 5 weeks since baby V was born.  Her grandma and grandpa threw her a beautiful first (month) birthday party.  The whole family was there and it was a blast!  It was also mother's day that Sunday, so we had quite a bit to celebrate.  Here are a few pictures from the very special day!

Parenting 102

Lesson 2: don't change your baby at the first sound of a fart.  When we first entered the wonderful world of parenthood (listen to me, I sound like I have been doing this for ages) we would change Violet's diaper the second we heard some pooping action.  As soon as we would get a new diaper on, she would continue doin' her business.  This would result in us quickly changing her again and if we were lucky this cycle would only continue for 3-4 diaper changes in the span of 5 minutes.  Now that Violet is one month old and we are wise parents who feel like pros, we no longer rush to change her like when we were young and naive.

Boobs: a mystery to us all

For the life of me, I can't quite grasp this whole breastfeeding thing.  All I know is that Violet is eating enough because she's gaining weight and apparently that's all I need to know.  I wish I had an understanding where this milk comes from and how much of it comes in and at what times.  For all I know, there is a midget somewhere in my body with a keg full of milk.  He probably pumps the milk into my boobs whenever he feels is convenient for him.
Violet is a healthy, happy baby that has even started to sleep for stretches of 7 hours at a time, which leads me to believe that not only do I have enough milk, but it's also very rich and fatty and keeps her content for long periods of time.  Sometimes I think one boob dispenses guacamole, while the other releases wine.  That combination will have anyone sleeping for hours!

What this new mom can't live without!

If you recall, a few months ago, I asked moms to write in and tell me about items they couldn't live without.  The compiled list led to this post.  Now that I am a mom, I figured I might as well add my own list of items I can't live without.

1. Boudreaux Butt Paste - after trying A&D, Desitin and the stuff the hospital gives out, I found that nothing even comes close to the healing power of this diaper rash cream.  I am about to start using this on my face!  It healed Violet's diaper rash in a matter of one or two uses.
2. Pacifier Wipes - these are meant to clean a pacifier after it gets dirty or falls to the ground, but I find it really convenient to wipe the face after her meals.
3. Hospital Blankets - This is what they wrap your newborn in after you give birth.  Technically, you aren't supposed to take these home but we had a wonderful nurse that gave us a bunch of them and now we use them ALL the time.  They are great for lining a stroller, putting on the couch for the baby to lounge or any time you need a burp cloth.
4. Sleep-n-Play PJs (with zippers) - These are great because in the middle of the night you don't have to deal with a million buttons and clips.  All you have to do is pull the zipper and changing takes minutes.  Gerbers makes a great set (of 3) for only about 15 bucks.
5. Disposable Diaper Pads - These are meant to be used on the go, but I use them on top of my changing table covers.  If I didn't have these, I would probably end up washing my changing table cover every day.  Violet loves to go poo/pee once the diaper comes of, so this disposable wonder saves a lot of laundry loads.