Holy Six Months

Can't believe this little lady has been with us half a year. I feel like I need to start planning her first birthday already.  This past month has flown by and Olivia has done so many new things. We love documenting all the new stuff she does. My Instagram is full of it! 

Last month I talked about the routine we had. We probably follow that silly routine one day out of the week now. Some days are just crazy and it's impossible. One day we will get back into a routine. 

She has been so picky with food lately. She still nurses in the morning, plays, and then naps. She used to eat cereal in the morning after nap time. Now, I'm lucky if she'll even take a bottle after. Lunch time solids is give or take. Sometimes she is in the mood for veggies and some days she isn't. She will ALWAYS eat cereal and veggies for dinner, it's just hard figuring out when on HER time. 

She's still sleeping through the night and has been going to bed a little earlier also. Two nights we were able to put her in pj's that cover her hands and let her sleep un-swaddled. She wakes up a few times, but usually falls right back asleep. She still rubs her face a lot when she isn't swaddled which keeps her awake all night. 

She started sitting up around 23 weeks and has only got better at it. She's still struggling with tummy time. She will stay on her tummy for about 15 minutes and then she gets super mad. We have tried and tried to help her with rolling over, but she's still determined to do it on her time. She is such a little jabber-box now. Always talking about something! We have noticed she kicks her leg a lot and likes patting our arms. Maybe it's a comfort thing, but it's cute and makes us laugh. 

This past month we took a small trip down to the Sumtner Landing with her. It was a rainy day so we just walked around. Needed to get out of the house for a bit. Her and I packed up one day and I planned on staying at Sholom Park for awhile, but it got too hot out and the gnats were too bad. We are currently in Miami with daddy while he attends a work conference. I will have to post about it later with some pictures. She's been pretty good so far! 

Some of her current faves are: peas, sweet potatoes, sink baths, remotes, Curious George, beach sounds, sitting outside, sitting in shopping cart, and her activity jumper. 

She is currently not a fan of: squash, tummy-time, having someone hold her when she drinks her bottle (she prefers to sit-up), and a quiet room (she prefers noise). 

Dannie said he loves how excited she gets when he comes home from work now. She's also became pretty attached at the hip lately. If one or the other of us leaves the room, she cries sometimes. 

This month we will continue to work on tummy time. She has her six month check-up on the 20th of August. We will get to see if she's got any taller because she appears to be thinning out and getting longer. The pediatrician said she should be eating solids 3x a day by the time she goes back in. I was curious for the people who are BLW when and what foods did you start with? Is it better for them to have teeth first? She still doesn't appear to have any teeth breaking through yet. I think I'm really just nervous about her choking. 

Off to hang with this little one while dad is working. Pictures to come later!

Medela Breast Pump Review

When we started searching for breast pumps I was clueless. Not only was I unsure where to start, but I wasn't even sure then if I would be able to breastfeed. I knew that I had always wanted to try, but wasn't sure how successful I would be.

Olivia never latched good and ended up only being able to nurse on one side. She will nurse on both, but she gets super fussy after awhile. So, I have been pumping A LOT!

We were lucky enough to have a breast pump donated to us from my cousin. It had been passed to her from one of her friends. I was using the Medela Pump In Style. Prior to having Olivia I contacted our insurance regarding a free pump. At the time they stated I was not eligible unless I was having breastfeeding problems. Since I had not had Olivia yet I was unable to get one before hand. I used this pump from January up until two weeks ago. I didn't really have any issues with it except it was VERY noisy and the suction had started to slow. Another disadvantage was that I didn't have a bag to carry it in. So, I just shoved it in a green bag with bottles, accessories, and a cooler bag. I need a good on-the-go breast pump.

 So after talking to some other mama's on my Instagram who had got free pumps through their insurance, I decided to try again. I contacted Avmed and they told me what was required to have one sent to me. They said I would need to have a Rx faxed from my doctor with the diagnosis code "Breastfeeding" on it as well as some insurance information and office notes. Everything was faxed within two hours. I heard back from my insurance within three hours and it was shipped out the same day. I was told I would receive a Spectra pump. After researching it and reading reviews I was excited to try a new one. I actually received a Medela Personal Advanced Double Pump. A new pump..is a new pump! I was super excited to try it out.

I'm already super spoiled with this pump. I was used to spending 15-30 minutes pumping altogether. The double pump function did not work on my old pump so I had to pump each side separately. Being able to pump both at one time it takes about 6 minutes. Now I have more time to get other stuff done. Another awesome thing that I like is that the pump, cooler section, and accessory space is all in one bag. No more carrying around multiple bags. Not only does this make me happy, but it's so much more quiet. The noise was a big concern for me if and when I went back to work and was still nursing.

It may not be some fancy hospital grade pump. But, as long as it works good and I'm able to get a good amount of milk, I'm happy girl. Pair this up with the Medela Accessory Kit and some storage bags and you're good to go.