Levi is 2 months!

I am once again almost a week late on this, but our sweet little guy is 2 months old already! This week has been an eventful one- we had his 2 month appointment and shots, Ryan travelled a couple days for work, and I went back to work and small group. 

-Levi weighs 12 lbs 4.5 oz and is 23" long

-He is still at about the 50th percentile for height and weight and 80th for head size

-He is mostly wearing 3 month clothes although he can still wear some 0-3 month and needs 3-6 month for sleepers

-He rolled over again at 8 weeks, this time from tummy to back during tummy time. He's been trying to repeat it since then but he just gets frustrated and lays his head down

-Laughing and smiling and talking are some of his favorite ways to communicate

-He has started interacting with toys a lot more

-He still doesn't love baths but he doesn't seem to loathe them like he used to

-We survived his first head cold

-He is pretty consistently sleeping 7-9 hours at night; his longest stretch has been 10

I've been reflecting a lot lately; I think a state of reflection might be my new norm.  These past two months have flown by! And with each passing day our normal changes a bit; babies just change so quickly. It's incredible how much I can enjoy him, even through the cryjng, and not sleeping sort of moments. I keep a lot of notes about our weeks (because I'm a nerd like that), and I've realized that when people ask I tell them how good everything has been, and I really mean it, but I look back at my notes and remember the nights we were up for several hours just trying to figure out how to make him stop crying and the long days in the beginning trying to figure out how to make him shut his big alert eyes and take a nap.  But it's only been 2 months and already that's not what I remember.  

I think that's how God views us, despite our sin and our mess ups, He enjoys us, far more than I will ever be capable of enjoying Levi. And while He knows all of our ugly, unpleasant moments, that's not how He views us. If someone were to ask our Heavenly Father how he views His children, He wouldn't have a list of all of the hard moments with us, He would tell them how much He thoroughly enjoys us simply because we are His! 

Baby Stuff I Love: Headcolds

I know I just posted a product review, but as we approach 2 months of motherhood, and because we are coming off of our first baby sickness, I am feeling quite find of a few of our baby things. So this is a baby product review of sorts, for the things that got us through our first bout of congestion and head cold!

Poor sick baby!

So here are a few of the things that got us through the week in no particular order:

1. Medela pump n style double pump and bottles

Levi was so stuffed up and having such a hard time breathing out of his nose that nursing was kind of miserable. He would open his mouth for a breath and not only spill the contents in his mouth everywhere but leave me exposed mid-stream. What.a.mess!  So I got really cozy with my pump and he became good friends with our medela bottles. They are the only ones we've tried so far but they work well for us!

2. Crane drop cool mist humidifier

This is the first time we used our humidifier. I registered for it primarily because we burn wood for heat so I was afraid of what the dry air would do for Levi this winter. I have been told that the important thing to look for in a humidifier is cool mist, but the design of this brand is quite nice! The top opening can rotate to point different directions, it doesn't leak or spill, and as an added bonus it's not bad to look at!

3. Nose frida snot sucker

Okay, this thing is genius! After this week I am completely sold on this item! I spent so much time sucking snot out of Levi's little nose! It's $15, and so you could save the money and use the free one you get from the hospital, but I promise you won't be sorry you splurged on this one, especially after their first head cold! It is much easier to use- much easier to get a seal on their nostrils and since it doesn't really go up I their nose the way traditional nasal aspirators do, you're much less likely to injure them ( I know someone who have their baby a bloody nose trying to use the bulb style sucker). And it is nice to be able to see how much snot you're getting out of there and know it's working. Levi doesn't scream any less than with the bulb sucker but at least is screaming is not in vain!

4. Little remedies saline must

Ok, so this is the cheapest item on my list, but certainly not the least important. In fact, this item with the nose frida will run you just over $20 together, but they pack a huge punch!  I sent my husband to walmart to get saline and he came home with two different kinds. This and the standard saline squeeze bottle, and let me just say this mist is awesome! Any saline will do! Buy some now and keep it on hand! But the mist is great if you can find it! Saline has really helped the screaming during snot sucking situation because it loosens the mucus and makes if more runny and suckable and less plastered to the nasal cavity!

So there you have it! The 4 things that got us through our first head cold! Those things and lots of snuggles that is!

Products I Love:New Balance Shockingly Unshocking Sports Bra

I have never done a product review before. That sort of thing just usually does not cross my mind, but I love this product so much that I just had to tell the world!

I just recently started running again. I am going on 8 weeks post partum and I made the leap from going on walks to going on runs, and my sports bra wardrobe was not prepared for it and my breast feeding chest suffered the consequences.  Let's just say your body is not the same when you're breast feeding and so your workout attire should not be the same either!

After my first run with little support I asked my older sister, who has a little more experience in the needing more support while exercising department, what kind of sports bras she buys.  She gave me two brand recommendations- moving comfort and new balance.  

I first ordered the moving comfort brand from amazon because I was able to find it and try it on at our local Dick's Sporting Goods before ordering, but then my sister said if I liked it I should try the new balance kind.  And since you really need more than one sports bra if you are going to run more than a couple times a week, I decided to give the new balance version a go.

I had been pleased with the moving comfort bra for the following reasons:

-very supportive

-adjustable straps

-the straps also come completely out in the front making it easy to breastfeed

-hook and eye adjustable back (although you still have to pull this particular version over your head; other styles are not like that)

-runs true to size in my opinion

- and did I mention, very supportive

The reasons I am loving the New Balance Shockingly Unshocking sports bra even more:

- just like moving comfort, very supportive

-adjustable straps

- even better for breast feeding because the design of the straps makes it easier to get them in and out

-hook and eye adjustable back (does not have to be put on overhead which is a huge perk to me)

-runs true to size

-overall seems to run cheaper than moving comfort although I got my moving comfort bra for about the same price (~$35 from amazon)

As far as I know this bra is designed for bustier women who need more support but not specifically for nursing moms; however, I give this sports bra 5 stars and 2 thumbs up in both the support and ease of nursing departments! 

So to all of you nursing moms who want to exercise comfortably, or even just ladies who are searching for a supportive sports bra, search no further! Go get yourself an awesome bra right here!