Baby Antics #1

Babies like to pull tricks on their parents and family members. You know you've fallen prey to a little munchkin when the following has occurred...

The baby wakes up at an ungodly hour in the morning, crying, fussing and carrying on until everyone in the house is wide awake, playing with and cheering them up. Once this task has been accomplished then baby dictator decides it's time for a nap!

If this has happened to you, you should totally read The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee. It's basically the autobiography of your new life!

Allergies

Alexa has a stuffy nose, keeps coughing and sneezing and her eyes are red and puffy. What does this sound like to you? I say it is allergies and I think it can be one of two kinds...seasonal allergies or she follows in her daddy's footsteps and is allergic to dust mites. So what do I do? I have honestly tried to ignore the symptoms in hopes that they will just vanish, but sadly this is not working, in fact, I think it might be getting worse. :( I guess it's time to acknowledge their presence. If we were at home I would feel completely comfortable asking the pharmacy for something to help make her more comfortable while nursing and sleeping. Unfortunately that is not exactly an option. I bought saline drops and a nasal aspirator (which she HATES) to see if that would help. I don't really think it did much. I might keep up with the drops for a couple of days to see if they do anything. The aspirator, yeah, that thing has got to go! It's scary enough to know that I can pull her brain out with it, and then to have her cry while I'm using it is not reassuring at all! So what do I do now? I'm kind of uncomfortable giving her medication that I've never heard of, haven't been told by a doctor to administer or that I have heard bad things about. This totally sucks.

Have any of your children ever had allergies? What did you do?

Tuturific!

A friend of mine bought Alexa these two ridiculously adorable handmade princess tutus from Handmade Tutus in Ireland.

I thought they were so adorable so I ordered them for all of my little princesses in the US!

The girls absolutely adored playing in their princess tutus!

Thank you again Handmade Tutus , you have made these little princesses very happy!

Mama learns to travel with a bean...

Traveling with an infant is definitely an experience. Normally, I fly through check in, security and find myself a nice spot at the gate...stress free travels! Traveling with the baby was not as difficult and stressful as I anticipated, but it definitely was not a breeze. In one of my earlier posts, Things You Shouldn't do While Wearing a Baby, I talked about all the stuff I've unfortunately dropped on Alexa while wearing her. Flying added to that list! Bread crumbs littered her hair like dandruff and I even found a piece of shredded cucumber in one of her neck rolls. Sorry baby!

I have mastered some new mommy skills on the train ride and flight. I can now do the "one handed coffee maneuver". I can get the to go lid off, rip open sugar packets and pour them in without making a mess and then get the lid back on all one handed! I've come to thoroughly appreciate binky holders. We managed to get from Linz to New York without losing or dropping the binky on the ground at all! Whoever invented these things is a genius and I'd say a parent too!

After having Alexa we registered for the Bipa Baby Club. It is basically just a store card where you are able to get discounts on baby supplies once a month. After registering they sent us a welcome package that included a diaper, a small lovey toy, baby butt cream and of course a tiny little pack of wipes. When I first saw the tiny pack of wipes I was annoyed. What the heck is that going to do for me?? Well, I decided to throw them into my purse on the way out the door. Smartest decision I've ever made. They were so handy, easily accessible and did not take up any room at all! Thank you makers of mini wipes.

A few other things I learned included how NOT to pack a diaper bag when traveling. I brought along a few books and toys to keep Alexa entertained while on the go. What I did not do, was think about how I was going to reach those books and toys while we were on the train, in the plane or in the car. I packed three board books, which are slightly heavy, so I put them on the bottom of the diaper bag. I stuck the diaper bag in my carry on to make it easier to maneuver around. I also threw my purse on top. When it was time to reach for her books I had to take out my purse, dig through the carry on and into the diaper bag and try to move everything else that I'd stuffed in there. Not the best idea. The changing mat, which was soooo necessary I couldn't even access because of where it was in the diaper bag/carry on mess.

Here are a few other things I learned on this adventure...
Only pack essentials in the diaper bag - put the rest in checked luggage
*diapers - bring however many you would normally use at home during the length of your travel time plus maybe 2-3 more. (Packing 1 diaper per hour of travel was RIDICULOUS and took up way too much space!)
*wipes
*2 burp cloths (1 for spit up and 1 to cover up while breast feeding)
*a thick blanket (Regardless of the time of year! It was cold on the plane)
*a teether toy for baby to suck on and occupy themselves
*Book - as in one (1), no need to pack your library!
*an extra outfit (If you have a really pukey kid or one that has frequent poosplosions, then you might consider packing 2 extra outfits)
*bottles of pumped breast milk
*water in a baby bottle

On the way home, I'll be dressing Alexa in long sleeves and feetie pants (one piece jammies work well too!). It was very cold on the plane and I felt awful that her pant legs kept riding up and her legs were ice cold. I will definitely have at least 1-2 3oz. bottles of breast milk prepped and ready to go. Babies do no care if flights are delayed or if you cannot nurse right then and there. When they are hungry, they are hungry. Period. I will also be packing water in a baby bottle. As long as it is in a baby bottle and you try it then they will let you bring it through security. You might need it for formula or just for baby to have a little sip off of while waiting to board and get settled.

I wore a nursing bra, nursing shirt and a zip up hoodie. This was perfect for traveling! When you board and get settled, unhook your nursing bra on both sides for convenience and leave them undone until you get to your destination. Ask the flight attendant for a big bottle of water the first time they come around for drinks. Once you tell them that you're nursing they will be happy to oblige. Don't forget a few snacks for yourself. I brought three granola bars and they were the perfect snack.

Thanks to all of my friends who gave me tips and advice before my travels! You guys are helping me along in more ways than one.

To all of you parents getting ready to go on trips with your little ones...Good luck and Happy Travels!

Best Friends

Alexa is in her glory here! She has so many little friends and cousins and is eating up the attention!!

Lily and Alexa

Lily absolutely loved playing with Alexa on the floor and singing all kinds of songs to her.

"If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!"

Dakota and Alexa

Dakota was like a little mommy with Alexa. It was so cute to watch her hold Alexa and check on her while she was playing on the floor. 

Josi, Alexa and Juliana

 A Nan, a Pose and a Bean! Visiting with the Patti's in Pennsylvania was awesome! The girls thoroughly inspected Alexa and gave her a passing grade. Kara sent me a conversation between Jules and Josi after our visit and it cracked me up...

         

          Pose: I don't like babies.

          Nan: but you like Alexa...

          Pose: only because she is pretty.

          Nan: so if she was ugly you wouldn't like her?

          Pose: exactly

 Alexa, Juliana and Grace

Josi, Alexa, Jules and Grace

Visitation Station

It has been absolutely amazing watching my daughter meet all of my friends and their children and see how she interacts with someone other than myself! We have been completely surrounded by family and friends since our arrival. Alexa has never been around so many people, all at the same time, all vying for her attention...and she LOVES it!

Our week in Delaware was so much fun. I was able to spend some real quality time with John and Andrea and Alexa was able to spend some serious playtime with the girls!

Best Friends

We had a great time visiting our cousin Janice who also lives in Delaware. I thought I took a bunch of pictures, but apparently that was with her camera!  Alexa was spoiled from one end of the state to the other! Karen's mom made the most beautiful quilt for her! (Pictures to follow) She was snuggled and loved and then snuggled and loved some more!

We had a wonderful visit with  my friend Siobhan, whom Alexa just adored.

Siobhan and Alexa

The entire week was fantastic and ended with John and Andrea's wedding! Aunt Les came down to be in the wedding as well, and we all had a great time hanging out and spending time together.

Aunt Les, Me, Alexa, and Auntie Andrea

Travel tips: traveling alone with an infant without a stroller

I am so glad that I didn't bring the stroller to the airport with me! Instead, I decided to go with the Baby Bjorn carrier. We did not just go from home to the airport, first we had to take the train from Linz to Vienna.  We were fancy and bought First Class tickets on the Westbahn train to ride down to Vienna. There is no way I would have been able to get a stroller up the stairs of the train and there definitely was nowhere to put it in First Class.

Once we arrived at the airport I was so glad that I had her so close. There were a bunch of creepy people at the airport at 4am and in the carrier absolutely no one could get her! I know that makes me sound paranoid, but I don't care! Going through security was a breeze. I popped her out of the carrier, put the carrier on the belt and the two of us walked through the metal detector. The airport security guards in Vienna, London and the US were AMAZINGLY helpful! They helped me get the carrier back on and Alexa back in it. One of the guards even took a few minutes to talk and coo with her. So cute! I hope our return flight is as successful!