Paul & Jenn's Adventures

I first starting shopping at Amazon.com in college getting deals on textbooks online. Who would have thought that I would be ordering everything from diapers and wipes, to DVD player and organic pesticide. I love the Amazon Mom program, it's truly amazing.

1. Eco Straw Cup It was always a challenge for me to to remember to stay hydrated even before I was pregnant. And since staying hydrated is the number one reason for pre-term labor , it was even more important for me to stay on top of my water in-take. It took effort to remember to drink water periodically during the hussle and bussle of the work day, and it was a pain to carry around a heavy water bottle everywhere I go. This double-wall insulated cup keep my water cool and looks cool too. The best part is that I can take little sips without having to unscrew a lid and lift up the bottle to my mouth to take a gulp. I know it sounds really lazy, but I was amazed at how much more water I was drinking without even trying with this cup. I also like to flavor my water with a fresh slice of lemon. With this cup, I didn't have to worry about it clunking on my face if I had used a stainless steel bottle instead.

Jenn: My water broke early with no contractions at 6am on Thursday March 3rd. I woke up and found the bed under me was wet, and felt like I was peeing, but couldn't control it. It wasn't a big gush or anything dramatic, just a slow trickle. The first thing we did was to call our doula, who was getting ready to attend an all-day seminar on breastfeeding. She had told us earlier that this was the only week that she would not be available during the day time. She wanted to stop by with her amniotic fluid test kit to confirm if it's in fact my water that had broken, but as she got on her way, she quickly realized that there's no way she would be able to make it to our house, and then to Albany with rush hour traffic and get to her class on time. She did mention that amniotic fluid should be basic, so we applied our chemistry skills. I had these big pads under me in bed by now, and once in a while, there would be a bit of fluid leaking out making a little puddle. We used ou...

Jenn: Our birth story really started with our pregnancy story. Like most of my girlfriends as I was growing up, I was terrified of giving birth. The thought of having a baby was almost subconsciously taboo from all the abstinence education from school, then soon I was married and it seemed like everyone around us was suddenly having babies. It seemed unreal that it was now "OK" to be pregnant, and even somewhat enviable. I found out I was pregnant 3 days before I was leaving for a business trip to China in July of 2010. Paul: We had just gotten our brand new Simmons World Class king size mattress from mattress.com on June 16, and I am pretty sure it was the sperms from those first few nights that did the trick.  By July 17 (week 4), Jenn started to have regular night time wakings to pee.  Another week passed and Jenn started to have an extremely heightened sense of smell.  I used to smell things before she does, but now she can detect smells that even I didn't notice. ...

1. It's Free! Formula feeding can cost between $1500 to $2000 in baby's first year. We do spend a bit more on food bills because I need more calories and nutrients to breastfeed, but pretty much negligible since I'm eating about the same diet as when I was pregnant. 2. It's Always Ready No need to measure out formula or warm bottles. When baby needs food, the breast is always available as long as I'm home. If I know I'm going to be out, I pump some milk ahead of time. I also keep a store of frozen breast milk just in case as well. When baby travels with me, I don't have to worry about bringing bottles and formula. I can't help but bring my breasts and milk with me where-ever we go and it's always at the right temperature too.

1. Play-yard with changing station We got our play-yard ( Graco pack 'n play ) used from a co-worker for $15, and we are so glad we did. It came with a change station attachment and little compartments for holding diapers, diaper rash cream, nail clippers, and a built in compartment for wipes. Some parents use the play-yard as a bed for the baby, and we probably eventually will too, but for the first month, we used the "bed" area to store everything from extra clothes, diapers, burp cloths, cloth diapers, etc. The play-yard is a great investment since when the baby gets older, he can use it as a crib and a play pen. It's also collapsible and semi-easily movable from room to room. Graco is the preferred brand for play-yards, and it can last easily up to a few years! Many parents tell me that it's worth it even if you buy new.

Micah is so brave! Yesterday, he got two shots, one in each leg, at 11am. He cried of course with each shot, (one was Dtap and the other was Hepatitis B) but he was better after nursing a bit in the doctor's office. Both he and I took a nap after coming home and I asked Paul to get infant Tylenol as the Doctor recommended. It's interesting though that apparently it's hard to find infant Tylenol now (does anyone know why?), so he got the generic verion instead, which should work the same though. It was $8 (!) kind of expensive for a small bottle. Paul also found that the closest CVS closed down due to renovation, so he had to go to a different one.

Our baby boy was born on March 5th, 2011 at St. Mary's hospital in Troy, NY. He was 6 lbs. 6 oz. at birth, and 18.5 inches long. See link below for pictures from his first month. He is 2 months old now, and almost 14 lbs.! So far he has been gaining about 1 lb per week, which is faster than average (they say 1/2 oz. to 1 oz. per day is average). His weight is between 75 and 90th percentile for his age now. Tomorrow we will go to his 2 month pediatrician check up, and we will get some more official numbers. He is also getting his 2 months vaccines, which are DTap and Hep B, the Doc says he might need infant Tylenol, so we are a bit nervous about that. The book my Mom is reading says that he will have reaction after 12 hours, and it will last about 24 hours. We will see how he does.