Baby on the cheap

Evelyn is a million dollar baby. That being said I have made it my mission to raise her on the cheap. I would rather have her in second-hand clothes now and in college later. Yet, there are those days when "momma's gotta shop". So here are a few ways I save money in order to buy "the fun stuff".

First, you should realize you are going to spend more money before you bring the baby home then you will afterwords. Before you drop a ton of money at Babies R Us remember the only "essential" is a car seat. They will not let you take the baby out of the hospital without one. Other than that it is all up to you and your life style as to what gear to buy. Babies want to be in your arms for the first three months and on the floor after that. One big question for the first few months is: Swing, bouncy chair or both? We have both, I bought the bouncy chair at a thrift store for $4.00 and my mother-in-law bought the swing. Even so, I wish I would've had her buy something else and gone without the swing. The swing did save us a few hours of pacing the floor early on but Evelyn rarely uses it now (at 5 months developmentally). The bouncy chair has the added feature of seconding as a feeding chair and so it still gets used on a daily bases.

Second (this really should be first), you have gotta nurse the baby for a year. I have not, and do not intend to buy a can of formula. Formula is expensive, and if your baby needs to switch a lot to find the right brand then you pour a ton of money right down the drain. Of course there are a lot of health benefits to nursing but for me it was the money that got me to do it. Even if you have to rent a good breast pump and go to a lactation specialist to make it work you will save money in the long run. Locally there is a great place called The Lactation Station. A stop there is a must. Another way I saved money on nursing is by buying only a one nursing bra. I found that my sports bras and camisoles work great.

Third, buy store brand diapers. There is no amount of leakage control that can make up for the $4.00 a pack the name brands charge over store brands. With the money you save you can buy an other outfit and some laundry detergent and wash the leak away. Now keep your eyes on the ads and stock up on diapers when the stores have their brand on sale. Walgreen's often has buy two get one free. Free! That is more money for laundry! Speaking of which, Oxyclean is a must. It takes out poop, spit-up and blood.

Forth, make your own baby food. Buy a food puree machine of some sort and make your own stuff. Homemade baby food is healthy and it is cheap. Remember, many cultures feed their babes right off the plate. Just take it slow. Only introduce one new food a week.

And that is how you can have a baby on the cheap.

Give your child a hug today.

I am declaring today "Give Your Child a Hug Day". Big kids, little kids, furry kids, twinkle in the eye kids, give them all a big, big hug. Life is too short.

I was reminded of this by an email entitled Sad News. Indeed it was. The son of a friend of mine has passed away. We met as parent support volunteers for the NICU. Little Jacob had many health issues and his mom was an inspiration to me, giving of her valuable time. Now I am left feeling helpless as to how comfort her. Alas I know the only comfort to loosing a child is time. Eventually time spares us the constant sorrow and provides us blessings along the way. So in honor of Jacob and his grieving family please search your life for such a blessing and give it a hug.

Rollin' with the punches

To mom's great relief Evelyn rolled from her back to her belly this week. Mom, that is me, was trying to keep it cool and not worry as it has been obvious for some time that Evy would do it. But I admit, I was worried. I guess it goes with the territory. When your child suffers a brain injury and you are told to watch for missed developmental benchmarks, you almost live and die with every twist, tug and smirk. Today I no longer have to worry that Evy will never roll from belly to back. It is truly a gift.

Speaking of gifts, my sister Janet sent me some pics she took of Evelyn back in October when we were in the NICU. I had to post my two favorites. It was great to see them and remember that we shared some very tender moments together in the hospital. Evelyn was probably 36 weeks gestation when these pics were taken. In a perfect world she would be 4 weeks from birth. Yet in this world I could cuddle with her at will and we were already learning to be the lean mean breast feeding machine we are today. I would have never chosen this, but having a preemie does have some great times. Yah for the preemies of this world and to their parents I wish many tender moments.

A Poem

Evy and I shower together. Mostly for convenience but it also makes for a great cuddle session. I love this time together. During our shower this morning I composed a poem from Evy's point of view. Enjoy.

On the floor
Cold, Hard
naked
cuddling
skin to skin
splish splash
soapy sudsy
hold breath
all clean
towel dry
Warm, Soft
On the floor again

Dog barks, baby babbles and neck bobbles

I have uploaded some pics taken two weekends ago at Evelyn's first dog sled race. It was the first annual IDidaRace to help support the Arctic Dog Rescue in Park City UT. Evelyn and I were just spectators this year but we hope to help organize the second annual race next year. As you can see it was a gorgeous day. Evelyn did very well. We had to sneak off to the car a few times to nurse, but otherwise she was a great cold weather warrior. Also, I learned I must carry sun screen in the diaper bag. Luckily a kind man saved her from her first sun burn this time.

Evelyn is turning into such a little talker. She has been chattering with us for a few months but presently she has began to babble to herself. This usually happens in the morning when she wakes up. She sucks and coos, coos and sucks. Her favorite sound to make is a rolling K. She will even recognize this sound in my speech and repeat it. If I say kiss or drink she will repeat the K back to me. I am not sure but I think this behavior is advanced for a 4 month old. I would like some feed back on this. I would like to know when all you moms out there remember your little one started to babble. I can read in a book the expected age but I want to know your experiences.

Lastly, I have began to wear bobbling necklaces for Evelyn to grab onto. It is to encourage her to reach out and touch things. She is a bit slow to really explore outside her mouth with her hands. She has a soft doll she likes to have on her lap to touch but she is not a big fan of other toys yet. I thought if she reached for me and grabbed wood, glass, or plastic beads she might feel better about her toys. So far I have just used beads I had laying around on a thick twine. I am planning on shopping for more so I can make a necklace to match each outfit. I am looking for big beads (wood, plastic and glass) and I would like to find some magnetic clasps as well. Respond if you have any thoughts on the subject. Please.

The big check-up

It is snowing today. I drive Evelyn to the Neonatal Follow-up Clinic. We venture out of the house earlier than we have before. It is cold. Neonatal Follow-up is a program that tracks the development of babies born into the NICU, preemies. On our first visit Evelyn sees five specialists as follows:

The waiting room is hot and crowded. Children with taut faces look to parents for reassurance. The parents are tired. The kids are shy. Finally a set of 4 year old twins encourage each other to the top of a set of climbing blocks. Others follow. Now the room is noisy as well.

A woman with a chart, the Physical Therapist, calls Evelyn’s name.

“You need to watch the shape of Evelyn’s head.” She says. “It is long and narrow which will put pressure on her frontal lobe. Also, her right side is flatter than her left. She needs to spend more time on her back and left side. You only have until she is a year to reshape it.”

“Evelyn does not bend her legs enough. She lurches back to elongate her trunk. You need to have her bend her legs more. Use the C pillow or rolled-up blankets to help her keep position. Do not put her in an exersaucer until she can sit up on her own. These encourage lurching back. When you hold Evy to your chest to comfort her always bring one leg into a bent position.”

. . . . . . . . . .

In a quiet corner of the waiting room a young couple huddles around a small baby. The babe is one year old. She weighs 10 lbs. When asked they tell a story of a baby who stopped growing in utero at 23 weeks. Labor was induced at 27 weeks. Their struggles mirror ours. They are finally off oxygen, well maybe a little at night. They are finally growing out of newborn sizes.

Evelyn’s name is called again.

She is 10 lbs 7 oz and 21 inches long. That puts her in the 10^th percentile of 3 month olds. Perfect. Her heart rate and blood pressure are also, well, perfect.

. . . . . . . . . .

Back in the waiting room someone asks about Evy. Upon hearing her tale they exclaim “Wow!” Even those who have their own miracle are amazed by her. In fact those in the know are even more amazed. Time spent in the NICU wares on you. It is the pokes and the prods, the tests and the treatments, the surgeries and the spinal taps. One woman explains as she looks around at the tussle of children, “These guys are strong. Only the strong make it this far.”

The Nutritionist calls Evy’s name.

“Is she really a breast fed baby?” “Good for you.”

“Evelyn need more iron in her diet. Babies lay down stores of iron in the last trimester. Breast milk is not a sufficient source. She needs to take a supplement with iron or eat a iron fortified cereal everyday. Also, let’s get her back on the Prevacid. Her reflux is causing her to associate eating with pain. This could affect her eating habits for the rest of her life.”

. . . . . . . . . .

Now the waiting room is in full riot. I slip into the hallway for a little quiet time. Others are there. One child sits in a stroller. She is about 7 years old and too big for the carriage. Her body twists and turns in awkward angles. Her empty eyes look up but see nothing. She is fed air from a tube cut into her throat. She is hard to look at. She could be Evy. Evy could be her. I pull my baby close to my face and silently weep.

An old man calls for us.

“I am the neurologist.” He says. He uses Sesame Street finger puppets, whistles and hoots to keep Evelyn’s attention. He is an expert at this. He checks reflexes. He asks questions. He gives no report.

He leads us to the last doctor to be seen, the pediatrician. She is just as old and likewise an expert. She reads over Evy’s NICU paperwork. “I see she has serious lung disease. Let’s take a listen.” She listens to her lungs and dons an unreadable expression. Then she says, “Her lungs sound good, really good.”

. . . . . . . . . .

The waiting room is now empty. A single set of twins wrestle on the climbing blocks as their mom stares out at the snow, still falling. I smile and sigh at her as if to say, “What a long day.” She does not notice. I pack up Evy, her stuff and head for the car.

As we leave someone says. “See you next time.”

I smile and sigh again. “Yeah, next time.”