A Crooked Child

Blended Family of 5: Earthy Crunchy Mama Giveback #Giveaway #ErgoBaby will help raise money for Infantile Progressive Scoliosis

This is my deep thinker

This is Declan my youngest. He is a deep thinker. Lately he's been thinking about families. This is him grouping buttons into color families. He did this with the our guitars last night, and with almost every stuffed animal in our house. He is amazing.

Kushies Trainers Review

I am not new to Kushies. I used them to train Joey and Sonny. Back when, it was Kushies or Gerber. I really wanted my last potty learning adventure to be new. Declan is my last baby and a Mom of five this is hard to come to grips with.

Joey called him his exploding pants. At the time I thought it was funny. In truth these trainers hold urine like no other. Joey and Sonny both are heavy wetters. However they are very puffy. They do leak if the urine is held in there for too long. I'm pretty quick about changing my guys.

This photo as gross as it may be is Declan's preschool teacher and I trying to capture just how much liquid these trainers hold. It was like a water ballon.

Declan's teacher has been a wealth of information with these reviews. She gets excited however when I bring the Kushies. I have been using both the Kushies I used on my older sons and the new pretty blue featured up top with Declan. They are easy to pull on and off but sound like a bride's maid dress. They don't always fit in pants with out the puffy coming out the top.

I'm kind of choosing not to give you too much about these trainers until I've met them all. I will let you know they are about $10 each and work well at naps and overnight.

Imse Vimse Trainer Review

Imse Vimse is a Swedish trainer. At first look  I noticed the giraffes. Again I can't wait to show Declan my little giraffe lover. The outside of the trainer the fabric is very soft. The inside feels like a rough washcloth. I am hoping after the first wash it will soften up. Declan being light is prone to rashes.

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The inside becomes equally as soft. However it shrank.

I'm having a lot of trouble trying to get Declan to try these trainers on. Again I think it's because they are not colorful even with the cute giraffes on them. Sonny my four year old agreed to show you what they looked like for a hand full of mini marshmallows. Sonny is 35 pounds and thin. I will have to sent these trainers to preschool and see if they can try them on Declan.

****Preschool actually was very impressed. Declan's teacher was nervous because it doesn't feel like it's waterproof. In fact handling them you would never know there is a layer of PUL inside. She told me Declan did great in these. They were easy to get up and down. When he did have an accident the short he was wearing only got a little wet on the area where the outer edge of the trainer rests of his little duff. She then showed me that the trainer was super soaked and may not have leaked at all had he not gone so much. This all was a pleasant surprise to me since I was worried about the shrinkage from the wash. I'll use this one a few more times and give you my final impression.



Enter this Giveback/Giveaway for a chance to win this trainer in one of our random drawings. Ends 10/17/11

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Blueberry Trainers at Preschool Review

This review made me kind of sad. If you remember from my earlier post I love these trainers. Preschool does not. They told me Declan did great all day. Woke up dry at nap and then gave them the look, a croaked smile and said I'm pooping. The teacher said from across the room she saw Declan's pants inflate like a ballon. She took him in the restroom and when pulling his pants and the Blueberry trainer came off of him was like ringing a sponge.

So kind of joking I said. "So these didn't pass the preschool test?" With a reply of Please don't bring them back. I still love the prints and how they worked for us at home. I may just end up buy a few more for when he's less of a wetter and more of a mid trainee.

My Breastfeeding Adventure Part 3 Tandem Breastfeeding

March of 2008 I went back to work after my bonding time with my new baby. Sonny was 13 months old. In April 2008 hubs went back to Texas to have a little fun with his buddies in his band from when he was younger and I went camping with the kids and one of my girls friends and her family. When I got home I was beat, my Mom was in town and offered to take me out to lunch. The food looked good but the smell was making me sick. I thought to my self I know a had a couple beers over the weekend but not anything close to making me sick. Just for fun I took a pregnancy test. I took a positive pregnancy test. I sat down on my bed and cried. I had a baby. I was still breast feeding and co-sleeping. I called my husband and we were both overwhelmed. I was due in December 2008.

I felt really guilty that Sonny wasn't going to get to be the baby. He was my baby. I was in love and I harbored a thought that I was cheating on him by getting pregnant with another baby. My pregnancy was bigger than life. I was sick 24/7 from the moment I found out, he was a high risk and I was getting ultrasounds pretty regular to make sure his condition wasn't causing more issues. Sonny was learning to walk, run, discover seeing things at a new level and exploring everything with his mouth. During my pregnancy he split his chin open twice, his head once, and got a hold of a pill and was kept over night in the hospital. (Cool part of hospitals while breastfeeding is Mama can stay over night and be fed)

In December Declan was born a healthy baby boy. My daughter Marysa was in the delivery room as well as my husband and friend Christina. I was handed my baby while he was still attached to the umbilical cord. I got to experience the natural first bonding of my tiny little guy who crawled his way to my breast. They were full since I was still nursing Sonny. The poor little guy gagged on his first taste.  Later I was advised by the lactation consultant that sometimes the let down will make that happen. Declan however caught on quick.

I was in the hospital over night with my perfect little man. I worried about Sonny and asked to be released home as soon as possible. I don't think I was there even a full 24 hours. I was told it's important for Dad to carry the baby in so your older baby can be loved on by Mama. Sonny could care less I was home. He wanted the car seat he had been playing in for the last few weeks. Hubs set the baby and car seat on the floor, Sonny attempted to sit on the baby. This was going to be fun. Sonny was 21 months old and a big brother.

When Declan needed to eat at first I'd take him in my bedroom for that one on one and I wasn't sure how Sonny would react. Soon Sonny found us  and was right with us sitting next to me and his new baby. Sonny who had been in his crib the last few months of my pregnancy was back in my bed. I should have stayed strong and kept him there. We ended up putting a twin bed along side our bed so everyone would fit. This unfortunately opened our bed up to a litter of kids sleeping with us and me never sleeping because I was making sure no one slept too close to my new baby. Declan eventually moved in to Sonny's crib and Sonny in the bed next to ours. This worked out pretty good while I was nursing both boys.

I often would nurse Sonny first since he would loose interest quickly and then Declan would nurse. This way the let down was over and he could be fed without any problem. The most surprising part for me was Sonny wasn't jealous of his brother and he never tried to push Declan away. I can't say never nursed both boys at the same time. I had seen ways to do it in books however I placed them my own way trying to prevent kicking and all the sweet movements a baby does from bothering my other baby. My biggest issue tandem nursing was the opinions I got from everyone including my loving husband. It was difficult but it was I believe a personal choice between me and my child. I got very little support. Actually no support at all except the high five from the MAs and nurses at our Well baby doctor appointments.

I was able to nurse the boys until Declan was almost two and just after Sonny turned three. A few surprises while I was nursing two different aged babies.

• Sonny got seedy newborn poop and stopped eating solids for the first week that we brought Declan home.
• I never thought I'd give my own baby a bottle and I started Sonny on one after he was 21 months old so I wasn't nursing all the time. This was a mistake I recommend to no one. Sonny ended up with cavities and a root canal at three years old.
• The boys weaned close together.
• Not a soul supported my choice.
• I ended up loving both boys with out that cheating fear I had while pregnant.

For me it was the right thing to do in my heart. My advice to any Mama in this position is follow your instinct and do what's right for you and your baby. Breast feeding one of multiple babies is a personal choice. If you need  a friend in your corner I'm only a click away. Happy Breastfeeding!

Blueberry training pants

No wash

Can you say Cute! These by far are the cutest trainers I have seen. Declan chose the print. He's a huge giraffe lover.  They are so soft. The outside feels and looks like underwear, and the inside you can feel is using a waterproof barrier under the thin padding a velor cotton blend lining.  The idea of these trainers is a good one. They are designed to let the toddler feel more grown up wearing undies while giving you the protection for accidents during the day. They do not have a cloth diaper feel to them at all. They are not recommended for naps or over night.

First Wash. Just as soft. Same shape. Declan loves it!

So far I love these. They did not leak or soak through when Declan had an accident. However Declan could feel it and asked to have his undies changed. This is just what I'm looking for. Cuteness One star. Easy to pull up and down One star. Doesn't leak. One star. Washes well. One star. I can't wait to send them to preschool to see if they pass the test there as well.

                                                            



Enter this Giveback/Giveaway for a chance to win this trainer in one of our random drawings. Ends 10/17/11

Blended Family of 5: Earthy Cruchy Mama Giveback #Giveaway #ErgoBaby

Charlie Banana Training Pants Organic Cotton Review- First Impression

This trainer is the softest fabric I think I have ever handled. I hardly ever run to my husband and have him check out any baby product but I couldn't help it. They have a real quality feel to them. My only worry is they come only in one size for babies over 18 months. Declan was pretty sleepy when we tried these trainers on today. It is a weekday and preschool is early.

So far I like the fit.  There is no puffiness about them. As you can see above Declan's shorts are over the top and you'd think he was wearing undies.When I handed Declan off this morning at preschool the teacher even asked me what he was wearing.

The trainers are made of organic cotton with a waterproof outer layer and some micro terry inside. They come in a box. I personally thought was silly since it's just extra packaging and most customers I would assume would choose a cloth trainer over a disposable to reduce waste? Just saying... Charlie Banana also has a boxer style that comes in  different sizes. I think just for fun I may pick one up to see if that would be a good progressive step.

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Home from preschool .

The closing teacher told me Declan had wet before she got there at 10am. Declan was still wearing the shorts I sent him to school in. To me that's a good sign. Until I talked to the morning teacher who told me he peed right through soaking both trainer and shorts. They had to hand wash his shorts because I forgot his bag and ran around most of the day naked legged until his shorts dried. Needless to say she was not a fan.

I will try them a few more time just in case was because they they didn't prep well.


Enter this Giveback/Giveaway for a chance to win this trainer in one of our random drawings. Ends 10/17/11

Blended Family of 5: Earthy Cruchy Mama Giveback #Giveaway #ErgoBaby